Up and Under
by maybesomedaysameen
Summary: Root is a freshman in college and the first day of classes, she meets a mysterious (and very attractive) Rugby player. By pure coincidence (and maybe a little fate), her new study partner, Reese, lives with this mystery girl. Slowly, they get closer and closer until Root ends up playing for the Rugby team and Shaw ends up playing for Root. Slow Burn.
1. They Meet

Root stretched her arms above her head, reaching for the sky. Bending forward, she pressed her forehead to her legs. She'd moved to NYC a week ago and had already explored most of her borough. There wasn't a gym with a good track near her, but her university was huge and their outdoor track was stayed open until the first snow of the year.

She'd never been to the northeast before, or outside of Texas, really, but she was really looking forward to the winter. Looking out over the campus, Root couldn't see too much. It was still too dark. She'd been jogging on the track every day since she'd arrived and she always tried to make it there by six in the morning. It was really early for her, but it helped her start her day and the stretching helped her wake up. Her eight AM class was going to be killer and she needed all the help she could get to make it there.

The campus was so beautiful during the sunrise; all the lights bouncing off the buildings made everything seem like it was on fire. Most of the buildings were made of red brick, only a few stories tall. There were some newer dorms that were bigger, but Root liked how old and comfortable the campus was. Her home town, Bishop, was all old and ugly. It only had a few thousand people and it only took 30 minutes to go from one end to the other, but it had never really felt like home to Root. She'd always wanted to move to a city and see what she could become.

Nothing too exciting had happened since she got here, but she was sure something would soon. Maybe she would join a sports team. She starting jogging slowly, enjoying the cool fall wind. Honestly, she wasn't particularly sporty, but if the right sport came along, she would be willing to try out. She enjoyed using her body and playing a sport would help keep off the freshman fifteen. It would also get her out of her room and off the computer for a little while.

Picking up a little speed, Root tried to decide if she wanted to get breakfast before class. There weren't that many places on campus, but there were plenty coffee shops around. She'd saved a bunch of restaurants in her phone already. When she'd visited the school a few weeks earlier for orientation, they'd made her stay on campus. Now that she was living in an apartment, she really wanted to get the lay of the land.

Root glanced up at the rising sun. Her neighborhood was great, only a few blocks from campus. There were some cool pizza places and 24-hr diners, so she was happy about that. Her weird schedule wasn't going to keep her from eating. She still needed to find a good Chinese place, though.

Today was the start of classes, so she hoped this jog would clear her mind. She was incredibly excited to be an Engineering major. Root was already a genius with a computer, but she wanted to learn even more. It would be a breeze. She knew she'd probably sleep through her first two years, but then she could dig deep and build something really cool.

She finished her first lap, crossing the starting line and starting on her second. Bishop had been a hellhole. Root had barely been able to build anything. Thankfully, her school had had a robotics program and Root had gotten a full ride after she'd won the national competition. If she'd had to stay in Bishop, she would probably have turned to a life of crime, using her computer skills to steal money.

Of course, Root had done a little of that in high school, but now she was in college and ready to start over. She was going to get her degree, get a high-paying job building cool machines, and…get a girlfriend. Root had never dated anyone before and, honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted a real girlfriend. People just weren't that great. It would be nice to have a friend, though.

It didn't help her loneliness that the campus was always empty this early. Until everyone had started moving in last weekend, it had been pretty deserted. Only faculty and a couple of early arrivers like her had been around and Root had most of the campus to herself. When it was quiet, she wished that people would finally arrive, but yesterday, she hadn't been able to find a table in the dining hall. Now, she just wanted it to be quiet again.

Root hoped that the track wouldn't become too crowded as the semester went on. She could avoid other people by avoiding the dining hall, but the track was a great place for her to clear her mind. Looking up, she realized that it was almost completely day time. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't noticed she'd made a few more laps around the track. She glanced at her watch; it was almost 7. She could do one more lap and still have enough time to go home and shower.

Just as she started her next lap, she noticed a girl stretching by the gate. She was gorgeous. Long black hair tied up in a ponytail and the strongest jaw Root had ever seen. She incredibly fit, her dark tank top showing off thick arms and a ripped back. Root's eyes dropped to her legs, taking in how muscular they looked in her running shorts. Root realized she had stopped running and shook her head. It was too early in the semester to start developing crushes on strangers.

Starting to jog again, Root couldn't stop herself from glancing at the girl across the track. She watched as the girl pulled on a bright red sweatshirt and walked to the track. Maybe the girl would be in one of her classes. She was breathtaking. Root shook her head again and focused on running. After she finished this lap, she was going to head back to her apartment. She could pick up some coffee on the way.

She turned her last corner and glanced at the new girl again. Their eyes met. Her heart stopped. Root tripped and landed on her knees, the rough ground scratching her skin. Root shifted, lifting a knee so she could look at the scrape. She hadn't expected the girl to be looking at her. She had the deepest black eyes. Her knee was red, but she wasn't bleeding. A hand on her shoulder made her jump.

"Hey," a husky voice asked, "are you alright?"

Root closed her eyes for a second, cursing her clumsiness. She smiled and looked over her shoulder. Those dark eyes and sharp cheekbones were so close to her now.

"Yeah! I'm great!"

She hopped up and dusted off her knees. This wasn't her first fall on the track. Her long legs loved to trip over themselves.

The dark-haired girl shrugged. "Cool. Be more careful."

Root nodded, pushing loose hair from her face. "Yeah, I will. The track is, um, bumpy."

The girl looked at Root, eyes tracing over her face. Then they dropped, looking Root over before flicking up to meet her eyes. She pushed her ponytail over her shoulder.

"Sure."

The girl took off at a brisk pace. Her hair swung behind her as she ran and Root watched the way her shoulder muscles shifted as her arms moved. After a moment, the girl glanced over her shoulder. When she saw Root staring, she winked. Root jumped, caught, and turned around. It was too early for this. She took a breath and started for the bleachers. Time for coffee.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Root squinted as she walked out into the sun. Her first class, Feminism in the 1800s, was in the old English building. It was a cool building, but any class in the basement always felt like midnight. It was only an hour long, but Root felt like she hadn't seen the sun in years. She looked around the green, looking at all the other students walking around.

The class was small, only about 15 students, but more than half of the kids were boys. They probably took it to get with girls, but there were no girls in that class that cared about boys. Root had wanted to strangle someone ten minutes in, but she'd stick it out. They were going to read some cool stuff and it was the best option for her English credit.

Not everyone had been bad. The big guy who'd sat next to her seemed ok and he had said he was taking the class because he actually wanted to learn more about feminism. Maybe they'd end up being friends. She glanced at her watch. It was another six hours until her next class. She could probably take a nap before class.

"Hey, Sam," a boy's voice said from behind her.

Root turned around to see the nice guy from her class adjusting his backpack on his shoulders. He was taller than her with broad shoulders and short hair. For an early class, he was dressed nicely in a casual suit. Root would bet good money that he came from a military family. She opened her mouth to greet him, but realized that she didn't remember his name.

"Hey…" she said, smiling awkwardly. "How's it going?"

He shrugged, squinting against the sun. "Fine."

She waited for him to say something else, but he didn't. Fiddling with the strap of her messenger bag, Root sighed. "Cool. What did you think of our first class?"

"It was fine."

"Cool." Root pushed her hair behind her ear. "I, uh, I go by Root. Actually. Not- Not my legal name."

The boy looked surprised. "Oh. Sorry. I'll call you Root. You can call me Reese."

"Reese?" Root repeated. "Like…Reese's pieces?"

"No," Reese chuckled. "It's my last name. I don't really use John."

"Ok." She held out a hand, smiling when he shook it. "Reese, it is."

"Root, it is." He pulled his hand away. "Do you know about feminism?"

Root laughed, shuffling her feet over the rough concrete of the sidewalk. "I general? Or…"

"For class," Reese corrected himself. "I…know nothing."

Nodding over her shoulder, Root started walking across the green. She loved it when a man could admit that he didn't know something. Maybe she really could be friends with Reese after all. They crossed the green together and Root pushed her hands into her pockets.

"We could study together?" she offered. "I mean, I don't know too much about the 19th Century, but I'm a fast learner."

"Sure," Reese agreed, shrugging. "Please hold me accountable."

Root laughed as they reached the sidewalk on the other side of the large grassy area. "It's a deal. We can meet up this weekend and work on our first response paper."

Reese nodded. "Deal."

"Ok, well," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "my apartment is that way."

He didn't say anything in response and Root wasn't sure if he was waiting for something or if he was just a silent goodbye type. She pursed her lips, taking a half-step backwards. He was staring at her with expressionless eyes. He might not be the friendliest guy after all.

"There's a party this weekend," Reese said abruptly. "My…friend, I guess, is dragging me to it."

Root waited for an invitation, but none came. She shrugged. "Have fun."

"You should come," Reese mumbled. "Give me your phone. I'll text myself."

She took her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it, and handed it over. It might be a bad idea to go to a college party with a practical stranger, but Root was ready to take some risks. As long as she had her taser, she'd be fine. She could handle herself.

Reese was taking a long time to type in his number, so Root shifted to take in the green. She should spend some time on the grass, reading or something, before it got too cold. Everyone was already wearing hoodies. Apparently, NYC had decided that it would be a cold fall.

She was turning back to Reese when she saw the girl from earlier, longboarding down the sidewalk on the other side of the green. She had changed in the last few hours. Tight black pants, shiny like leather, clung to her muscular legs. She was in a T-shirt, the chill not seeming to phase her, and her hair was up in an immaculate bun.

Root swallowed hard. The girl was so cool, weaving between pedestrians easily, planted firmly despite her high-heeled boots. Her hands were in her pockets and she looked incredibly casual, like she was in a whole different world, one Root couldn't even dream off.

The girl seemed to sense something and turned to look at Root. She smirked at her, keeping her balance on the longboard. Then, she winked. Root turned bright red and turned to face John, who had finally finished texting himself. She snatched the phone from his hand.

"I have to go," she murmured, shoving her phone into the pocket of her jeans. "Text me about the party."

"Sure," Reese said quietly, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He shook his head. "My sister wants to meet up anyway."

Root smiled at him, already walking backwards. This was twice in three hours that a cute girl had winked at her and made her blush. Her heart was racing and she really needed that nap now. Root had come to college to improve her computer skills, not develop a crush on a really hot jock.

She turned around, speed walking away. She waved a hand over her shoulder.

"See you on Wednesday!"


	2. They Meet Again

It might have been a bad idea to accept an invitation to a house party from a boy she didn't know, but Root had come to the city to experience new things, and, as she walked into the apartment and looked around at all the drunk college kids, she knew that she had definitely never experienced this before. She slid her hand into the pocket of her leather jacket to double check that her taser was within reach and headed further in. Spotting Reese across the room, she changed her course to walk towards him.

Her first week of classes had been great. Root was taking two programming classes and she had already finished way more homework than she needed to. This party was a nice way to end the week and Root was hoping she would run into that hot girl she kept seeing around campus. She wasn't lucky enough for that, though, so she'd probably spend the whole night drinking alone in the corner.

Reese waved at her when she got close.

"Hey," she greeted him, stopping next to him. "Thanks for the invite."

"No problem," he mumbled, barely audible over the loud music. "Drink?"

He turned around to reveal a table covered in various alcohol bottles and way too many plastic cups. Root took a deep breath, overwhelmed. She had a fake ID, but she mostly used it to buy wine so she felt fancy when she stayed up late to work on her current project. She didn't really know anything about hard liquor.

"What's, uh, what's good?"

Reese chuckled dryly. "I'll make you something."

"Ok, but don't spike it." Root tried to glare at him, but he just smiled at her. "Don't do that."

"Don't worry," he said, starting to pull bottles and juices towards himself, "I won't. My sister would murder me."

"Is she here?" Root asked. Reese was nice, but Root would rather be friends with his sister. They hadn't met yet, though.

He poured her a drink as he spoke, carefully adding various things to a solo cup. "She will be."

Watching him pour her a drink, not entirely willing to trust him, she nodded her head in time to the music. He was making it strong, Root could tell that much, so she'd probably just make her own for the next one. A girl walked up to him on his other side.

"Hi, John," the girl said, leaning her hip on the table.

Reese jumped, almost knocking Root's cup over. He grabbed it just in time, putting down the bottle of tequila he had in his other hand. Root leaned to the side to look at the girl who could rattle Reese so easily. She was beautiful, in a classic, mature sort of way. Dark blonde hair fell in gentle waves and her dark red dress probably cost more than Root's Vespa.

Reese handed Root her drink and turned moved away from the table to face them both. He nodded awkwardly to the new girl.

"Hello, Zoe."

Zoe offered Root her hand. "I didn't know John had any friends."

"I'm Root." She shook Zoe's hand carefully. "He's in my feminism class."

A delicate eyebrow rose and Zoe looked at Reese, impressed. "Wow. A feminism class. I guess you stay true to your word."

He shrugged nervously. Root couldn't really tell, but he seemed stiffer than normal. She sighed and pushed her hair behind her ear with her free hand.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone," she said, toasting them with her cup.

Zoe smiled at her and Root walked away, pushing her way into the crowd of drunk students. Looking around, she spotted some boys that were in her Intro. to Engineering class. She spun around and headed in a different direction. As much as she loved computers and everything about them, she was uninterested in talking to guys about them. They always just talked over her.

She saw table of snacks shoved into a corner across the room and made a beeline for the big bowl of chips right in the center. When she was only a couple feet away, a boy appeared in front of her, making her stumble as she tried to stop before running into him. He tapped his cup against hers without asking.

"Hey," he said, slurring, "what's your name? I'm Jason. We're in math together."

Root winced as the smell of beer floated off him. "Yeah. I'm Root."

"Nice." He tapped their drinks together again. "You're pretty cute."

"Thanks," she pushed out through clenched teeth.

He nodded, throwing himself slightly off balance. "And you're hot. Nice leather jacket."

She sighed and looked around for an escape. There was only a seemingly endless sea of kids. Sliding her hand into her pocket, she wrapped it around her taser for comfort. It wouldn't be good to tase him in such a public setting, but just holding it made her feel better. She took a step to the side, staring longingly over his shoulder at the bowl of chips.

"You aren't going to complement me?" Jason said, frowning. He took a sip of his drink. "Don't I look good?"

Root hurriedly lifted her cup to her lips, drinking to buy herself time. He was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt, nothing special. Root had at least tried, wearing heeled boots and her favorite red button down. She looked really good. Jason looked…fine.

She stopped drinking and tried to smile. "You look nice."

"Nice?" He rolled his eyes. "You can do better than that."

A warm arm wrapped around Root's waist and a husky voice spoke at her side. "She has done better."

Root looked to her right to see the girl from the track standing next to her. She was glaring at Jason, her hand fisted in Root's jacket. Root took another drink as her heart started to race. Over the past week, she'd seen her mystery crush every day, but it was different to be so close. It was really different to have her muscular body pressed against her.

Root felt her face grow red and decided to stop chugging her drink. She didn't want to end up drunk at a stranger's house. Besides, she wanted to impress her mystery girl. The only thing Root could focus on was the arm around her waist and the warm body next to her.

Jason glared back at the mystery girl. "Who are you?" he asked, slurring even more.

The mystery girl flicked a loose strand of hair from her face. "None of your business, asswipe. Move along."

Jason's eyes widened and he staggered backwards, looking between them. "Are you lesbians? No way! You're too hot to be lesbians. I'm not going to take a lame excuse. I was talking to her first."

Before Root could say anything, strong fingers grip her chin and turned her head. Her eyes met the mystery girl's and she felt like she was falling into deep, dark holes. The girl winked at her, then tugged her down for a kiss.

The girl's lips were soft and full and Root's eyes fluttered closed. She'd kissed a couple of girls before, but this girl's mouth was nothing like the others. The girl's tongue ran along Root's lip and she opened her mouth, deepening the kiss. The arm around her waist tugged her close and it took all of Root's willpower not to drop her drink.

Her quick, secret kisses with girls from her hometown suddenly seemed so meaningless. Root's body felt warm and she leaned into the kiss, wanting more contact. The girl bit Root's lip and she moaned.

Her eyes snapped open, and Root jerked away, her face hot. She'd just moaned out loud at a college party, in front of the coolest girl she'd ever met and a boy in the Engineering program who would have classes with her for the next four years. She swallowed and glanced nervously down at the girl. Root realized that her hand had found its way to the back of the girl's neck and she snatched it back.

"Sorry," she breathed, pushing hair from her face. "Sorry."

The girl smirked. "You're a good kisser."

"Um," Jason mumbled, "that was so hot."

The girl's face twisted into the scariest snarl Root had ever seen. She tore away from Root and jumped at Jason, hands grapping the front of his shirt and yanking him down. "Go away, or I will kill you."

His face paled and he held his hands up. "Ok!"

The girl released him and he ran away, tripping over himself as he pushed into the crowd of people. Root should probably be scared, but she was just turned on. Despite being vicious, the mystery girl was tiny up close, almost a whole head shorter than Root. She looked great in her leather pants, like always, and Root wondered how someone could pull off the sweaty jock look and the hot goth look.

"Thanks," Root said, her heart pounding. She licked her lips, trying to calm herself. "Maybe he'll leave me alone for good."

The girl turned back to Root, running her eyes over Root's body. She reached up to pull her ponytail tighter.

"He'd better."

Root held her hand out. "I'm Root. It's nice to meet you."

"You, too." The girl shook Root's hand, her skin hot. She dropped it after a moment. "I'll see you around."

"Wait," Root said as the girl walked away, "what's your name?"

The girl disappeared into the crowd and Root sighed. She had finally met her mysterious crush, they had even kissed, and she still didn't know her name. Maybe the next time she saw her longboarding around campus, Root would try and talk to her.

Her stomach growled and Root walked to the snack table, finally getting to the chips. She ate a couple before turning to look around the party. Reese was moving towards her, Zoe behind him. Finishing her drink, she dropped the empty solo cup onto the table and tossed another couple of chips into her mouth.

"Root," Reese greeted, as they got close. He noticed the snacks and grabbed a handful. "Chips."

She smiled at Zoe. "Do you want some?"

"No, thank you," she declined, adjusting her necklace. "I ate before I came and I'm not drinking."

"Did I see you meet my sister?" Reese asked around a mouthful of chips.

Root shook her head. "I don't think so."

The mystery girl didn't look anything like Reese. She was tan and small, with a gorgeous face and perfect muscles. Reese wasn't bad looking, but…he wasn't tan or small and Root was willing to bet that his legs weren't nearly as nice. Root thought back to her kiss and sighed wistfully.

"I know that sound," Zoe said. "Did you meet someone you like?"

Root blushed. "Um, I don't know."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Zoe asked, eyes widening. "Did something scandalous happen?"

"I like girls," Root laughed, waving her hands, "and I just moved to the city, so…I don't know anyone well enough to date them."

Reese's eyes narrowed, and he exchanged a look with Zoe. The look meant something, but Root didn't know Reese well enough to figure it out. She pushed her hands back into her pockets, hand closing around her taser. She had figured out that he came from a military family, but she hadn't considered that he'd be homophobic.

"You should meet my sister some time," Reese said, turning back to her. "Why don't you come over this weekend for a study session and I'll introduce you."

Root relaxed, her shoulders dropping. "Uh, sure. We can study for the test."

"There's a test?" Reese asked, surprised. "When?"

Zoe patted his shoulder, looking sympathetic. "Don't worry, John. We'll make a good student out of you yet."


	3. Seen From Afar

"I'm just saying," Fusco said, holding his hands up defensively, "just because two unmarried women live together for 40 years, it doesn't mean that they're lesbians."

Root rolled her eyes. "You just don't want them to be lesbians. You want all the girls for yourself."

Fusco smirked, shrugging. "What can I say? I like the ladies."

Snorting, Reese dropped his phone down onto the table. "Too bad they don't like you."

Root smiled and leaned forward. She would never have expected to be friends with a boy like Fusco, but he wasn't too bad. She'd been skeptical when he'd joined their feminism class a week late, but Reese had vouched for him. Apparently, they'd been friends since middle school and Reese thought he could use the class, too.

They were eating lunch at one of the picnic tables outside of the student union, the weather cool and comfortable. She pushed her sleeves up to her elbows. Root was glad she made friends so early. Back home, she hadn't wanted them, no one in her town was particularly interesting or nice, but the big city felt a little lonely.

"Ok," Fusco muttered, trying to scoop as much rice onto his tiny plastic spoon as possible, "but some of them were just trying to keep their jobs. If they got married, they would have to quit being teachers."

"Sure," Root conceded. "Some of them. Some of them were lesbians."

Fusco scoffed. He lifted his stacked spoon to his mouth, but froze. With his mouth open, he glanced at Root. "Wait. Are you a lesbian?"

Root hesitated. She was out, but she wasn't sure how Fusco would react. He was brash and a little rude, but Reese had taken it in stride. Root took a breath.

"Yeah," she said, feigning calm. "I am."

"Cool," Fusco said, shoving his spoon in his mouth. He spoke with a mouth full of rice. "Then you probably know more about Boston Marriages than me."

Laughing, Root nodded, glad that he had taken it well. "I probably do."

She turned towards Reese to ask if he wanted to meet in the library tonight to study, but he was texting on his phone. He'd been preoccupied the whole meal, glued to his phone. He'd put it down and then pick it up again a second later. Root wondered what was happening with him. She was supposed to go over to his apartment this coming weekend and meet his sister, but maybe they were fighting.

"You know I love technology," Root said, scooting closer on the bench and trying to read over his shoulder, "but you should pay some attention to the people around you."

Reese looked up at her sheepishly. He put his phone down. "Sorry. Girl stuff."

"Ooh," Root cooed, pulling a leg onto the bench so she could face him fully, "do tell. Is it Zoe?"

"I won't bore you with my love life."

Root pouted, punching his arm lightly. "I'm very single, Reese. I want to know! Besides, we're friends! I can help you understand the dark and twisted female psyche."

"Can you help me?" Fusco asked, mouth full again.

"Some people are beyond help, Lionel. I'm so sorry."

Reese's phone buzzed and he picked it up again. "It's Zoe. She wants to go on a date, but I don't know where to take her. She doesn't want to go to the movies or the diner on campus."

Root's eyebrows rose and she chuckled. "Seriously, Reese? Take her to a nice restaurant! She's a classy lady! 'the diner on campus'? Wow."

Reese flushed and he started texting. "Thanks," he mumbled as he typed.

Root turned back to Fusco, smiling. She leaned on the table. "So, you've known Reese for a long time?"

"Yeah," Fusco grinned. "We've been glued together since six grade. He moved in next door after his dad left the Marines."

"That's cool." Root smiled at him. "I'm sure you were two troublemakers."

"Three," Fusco corrected her. "Shaw was our third musketeer. Well, she still is."

Root perked up. Shaw must be Reese's sister. Root couldn't even imagine what she was like. She had to be at least a little quiet if she grew up with Reese, but she had to have energy, too, if she ran around with Fusco. Selfishly, Root hoped she was hot.

"I'm meeting her this weekend," Root said. "I hope she likes me."

Fusco snorted loudly, shaking his head. "Shaw doesn't like anyone. Don't take it personally when she ignores you. That girl is a mystery wrapped in an enigma and she can be really mean. She's cool, though."

"Well," Root said as she pushed her hair over her shoulder, "she's never met anyone like me before."

Reese put his phone down. "Zoe is excited for the date now, so thank you. I'm taking her to some very expensive restaurant on Friday night."

"That's great!" Root grinned at him. "Bring her flowers."

"I'll text you my address later," Reese said, gathering his trash. "You can come over any time on Saturday. We all get up really early."

"Speak for yourself," Fusco laughed. "I wake up after noon on weekends. They're for resting! I'm not a muscle head like you two crazies."

Standing, Reese just shrugged. "Chicks dig muscles, Lionel."

"Whatever," Fusco muttered, as he stood up, too. "Do we really have to go to Anthropology? Let's play Fifa instead."

"No." Reese pulled his backpack onto his shoulders. "We are going to class. We'll play Fifa with Shaw later."

"Ugh," Fusco groaned, grabbing his bag, "fine."

Root waved at them, resting her chin on her hand. "Bye, boys. I'll see you tomorrow."

They waved at her and left, taking their trash with them. Root watched them go before sighing. She didn't have another class in the afternoon, so she was just going to go home. Spending the day at Reese's tomorrow meant that she wouldn't have much time to work on her personal projects. Hopefully she could get a lot done that afternoon.

Raised voices made her look around. Across the open courtyard of the student union, she spotted her mystery girl. She was arguing with a boy, her hands curled into fists. Root looked her over, admiring the way she managed to look so good in sweatpants. Her hair was hidden inside a black beanie.

Root was too far to hear what they were fighting about, but it didn't look friendly. The boy was pointing at the girl's face, his face angry. Sighing, Root wondered if being happy that the girl was going through a break-up made her a bad person. She'd be single now and available for Root to kiss.

Wait. If Mystery Girl was just breaking up with her boyfriend, then had she cheated when she kissed Root? Root rolled her eyes. One kiss wasn't always cheating. Maybe this fight was about her and how the girl had kissed her in front of a bunch of people. Root rolled her eyes again. Her speculation would get her nowhere.

Still, she watched the couple argue and tried to determine if she needed to step in. She wasn't very strong, but sometimes a few well-chosen words could stop a fight in its tracks. The boy grabbed Root's mystery girl by the arm and Root hurriedly climbed over the bench to her feet. She had only taken a couple steps when the girl shoved the boy away hard enough to make him trip over his feet and fall to the ground.

"Wow," Root breathed, her pulse quickening.

The girl was so strong. Root remembered her how muscular her legs were and the way her strong arms had wrapped around Root at the party last weekend. Suddenly, Root felt dumb. Why had she jumped to her feet? The girl could take care of herself and Root didn't even know her. Who was she to just step in to a romantic fight.

Slowly coming to terms with the fact that her dream girl was dating a boy and was unavailable, Root sighed. She glanced one more time across the courtyard and tense. The girl was staring at her, face unreadable. Goosebumps raised on her arms and Root felt like she had seen something she shouldn't have.

Instead of yelling or beating Root up, the girl just waved. Root awkwardly lifted a hand to wave back. After a moment, the girl dropped her hand and walked away, leaving the boy behind. He stared after her, scowling, before turning to glare at Root. She waved at him, too.

He climbed to his feet and dusted his pants off. Root had to admit that he wasn't bad looking. Sure, the whole bomber jacket/bald head look was trying a little too hard to be cool, but he had a nice jawline and she could tell that he was fit.

She turned away from him and moved back to her stuff. Maybe she should put mystery girl out of her mind. One wonderful kiss and a few winks didn't mean anything. The girl was so confident and cool; if she really wanted to talk to Root, she would have. Besides, she had a boyfriend.

Root picked up her backpack and checked her phone. Reese hadn't texted her his address yet, but she was already looking forward to tomorrow. If she couldn't have Mystery Girl, then she'd make a move on Reese's gym-crazy, stand-offish sister. One way or another, Root would get a girl.


	4. Face to Face

Root knocked on Reese's door. She was both nervous and excited to meet Reese's sister. On the one hand, she was probably gorgeous. Root could picture her being tall like him, with crystal blue eyes and long black hair. Reese wasn't bad look, Root could see that, and a girl version of him would be beautiful, too. She adjusted the straps of her backpack.

The lock clicked and Reese pulled the door open, smiling down at Root. He looked sleepy, his eyes half shut, still wearing a worn set of batman pajamas. Root winced. She'd shown up pretty early, too excited to hang out and meet Reese's sister. It was half past nine, long before any other college kids would be up.

"Sorry," Root apologized as Reese stepped back and let her in, "it's too early."

"No," Reese reassured her, his voice deep and gravely from sleep, "I was awake. I'm watching Good Morning America."

"I would have thought you were a Morning Joe kinda guy."

"No."

Root looked around the apartment as Reese moved to the couch and dropped down with a soft thump. The apartment seemed a little small for a three bedroom, but it was cleaner than Root had expected. The floor was a worn, dark wood, scratched and faded from years and years of feet. The kitchen was a decent size and Root smirked at the large tubs of protein powder above the fridge. Of course, Reese and his sister were really into fitness.

Taking in the almost bare white walls as she dropped her backpack onto the floor and then took her coat off, Root smiled. It was very New York City to have three people living in an apartment and still have to fill it with scavenged furniture. She hung her coat on the rack by the door and squatted down to unzip her boots. There was a coffee table covered in sports magazines, a worn looking couch, and two mismatching armchairs. She placed her boots next to the others by the rack and picked her bag up.

It only took Root three steps to move from the door to the couch and she sat down gently. The couch was incredibly comfortable and Root relaxed, sinking down into the leather cushions. Good Morning America was playing on the surprisingly large tv in front of them. Below it were several gaming systems. Root remembered that Fusco mentioned Fifa a few days before and wondered if they were into non-sports games.

In one corner of the room was a bookcase full of trophies. Root couldn't make out what they were for, but the sheer number was impressive. She had no trophies to speak of. It didn't bother her usually, but she suddenly wished she had something to brag about to Reese's sister. Would she be impressed by Root's ability to hack government systems.

"So," Reese said, pulling Root's eyes away from the bookshelf, "do you want coffee?"

"Coffee?" a voice asked, floating from an open bedroom door. Zoe walked out of what Root could only assume was Reese's bedroom, wearing nothing but her bra and underwear. She was rubbing her eyes, her hair somehow messy and gorgeous all at once. "Yes, coffee."

She dropped her arms and spotted Root on the couch. Zoe turned on her heels and disappeared back into the bedroom. Blushing, Root fixed her eyes to the tv. The news anchors were talking to someone about beauty blenders and Root tried to focus on that instead of Zoe's fit body. Maybe Root had a thing for muscles.

"Zoe's here," Reese said, his face red. He stood from the couch. "I'll make a full pot."

Root nodded, sinking further into the cushions. "Thanks."

He walked to the kitchen, feet almost silent on the wood floors. As he passed his bedroom, Zoe appeared in the doorway again, this time wearing one of Reese's button down shirts. It hung almost to her knees and she seemed dwarfed by all the extra fabric. She smiled at Root as she pushed the sleeves up to her elbows.

"Hi, Root," Zoe said, ambling across the floor to the couch. "I didn't know you were coming."

Root glanced at Reese as Zoe sat down on the armchair closest to the kitchen, delicately curling into a ball. "Oh, I- I thought Reese would have told you."

"We were busy," Reese mumbled from the kitchen. He leaned down to squint at his coffee maker and push a button. "I forgot."

"I hear I have you to thank for the nice dinner." Zoe wrapped her arms around her folded legs. "Thank you."

Root shrugged. "I think Reese wants to set me up with his sister. I thought I could help you two out, too."

Zoe nodded, turning her attention to the tv. "I'm glad Reese finally has a friend who knows something about relationships. I think you and Shaw will get along fine, but you'll have to be patient with her. She's a little…rough around the edges."

Root wasn't sure what she meant. It had been two weeks since school had started and Root still hadn't met this girl yet. She was somehow never on campus, but Reese was always running off to met her. Shaw might be even more mysterious than Mystery Girl. Root sighed. If she ended up hanging out with Shaw, she'd have to stop pining over Mystery Girl and her muscles.

Root might be in love with Mystery Girl. Rationally, she knew that wasn't true. She didn't know Mystery Girl, or even her name. She did know that Mystery Girl owned about six pairs of sweatpants, seven pairs of shorts, and at least two different pairs of leather pants. She also loved wool peacoats and black beanies.

"Coffee's ready," Reese muttered. "I'll bring you two cups. How do you take it, Root?"

"Uh, lots of sugar, please. Only a little milk."

The front door to the apartment opened and Mystery Girl walked in, a duffle bag slung across her chest. She was bundled up, but Root could tell from her sweaty hair that she'd been working out. Mystery Girl shut the door behind her and ducked a bit to pull her bag over her head and drop it onto the wooden floor with a thunk.

Root stared with wide eyes as she pulled her coat off, revealing a sculpted back blocked only by a sports bra. Her arm muscles moved as she hung her coat on the rack and Root shivered. Mystery Girl took her boots off next and then stepped out of her sweatpants. Her legs looked so strong and Root conjured an image of Mystery Girl on top of her, pinning her down and kissing her.

"Oh, hey," Reese said, stepping out of the kitchen with two mugs in his hands. "I thought you were sleeping."

Mystery Girl scoffed, not looking at the room. She opened her dufflebag and stuffed her sweatpants inside. "It's almost ten. Only losers sleep this late. Speaking of, Lionel needs to wake up and go food shopping." She dug around in her dufflebag for a moment. "Has Tomas texted you? I told that asshole to leave me alone."

"Yeah, but I told him to fuck off," Reese answered. "I hope you're done with him for good."

Shaking her head, her pony tail swinging, Mystery Girl pulled her arm out of her bag and zipped it shut. "I hate that fucker. Have you seen my beanie?"

"It's in the laundry."

She finally stood up, turning to look at the room, and her eyes landed on Root. Root gulped. She'd never seen Mystery Girl's abs before and now that she was staring at them, she felt light-headed. Mystery Girl put her hands on her hips and Root looked up at her face.

"Huh," Mystery Girl said, squinting at Root, "I know you."

Root took her coffee mug from Reese and blew on it, eyes nervously darting to and a way from Mystery Girl. She knew her face was red, but she couldn't do anything about it, so she hid behind the cup. This was so unexpected that she didn't think she could speak anyway.

Reese looked between them. "You do?"

"Yeah," Mystery Girl confirmed. She pointed at Root. "We made out at that party."

Root choked on her coffee. Zoe and Reese turned to look at her and she put her mug down on the table. Smiling nervously, she pushed her hands behind her ears.

"Uh, do you remember Mystery Girl?" she asked Reese, pulling her legs up in front of her to hide behind now that the mug was gone. "I think it's your sister."

Reese's eyebrows shot up and her turn to look at Mystery Girl. "Shaw? You're Root's Mystery Crush?"

Shaw looked at Root, smirking, and Root sunk further into the cushions. "I guess I am."

"It's not a crush," Root muttered. "I don't even know her."

Zoe gestured for Shaw to sit down, sipping her coffee. Instead of sitting, Shaw picked up her bag again.

"No, I have to shower. Lionel banned me from sitting on the couch while I'm sweaty. He says I'll ruin the leather." Shaw rolled her eyes. "The couch was ten bucks at Goodwill. Who cares?"

She walked past them, barely glancing at Root, and disappeared into the room next to Reese's. Root stared after her longingly. She wasn't sure if knowing that her Mystery Girl was Reese's sister, Shaw, made Root happy or sad. On the one hand, now she had a reason to talk to Mystery Girl. On the other hand, if it didn't work out, then she'd have no one left to fantasize about.

"So that's her," Reese said, moving back towards the kitchen. "She's pretty much like that all the time, so I hope you like it."

"Don't be rude, John," Zoe scolded. She twisted in her seat to look over the back of her chair at John. "Shaw's lovely. A little brusk, a little sweaty, but she means well. Or, she tries to mean well."

The door to Lionel's room opened and he stuck his head out, eyes still closed. "Quiet down out here. I'm sleeping!"

Shaw called from inside her room. "No amount of beauty sleep is going to make you beautiful, Lionel!"

"Call me when you can keep a job, jerkface!"

"Go buy me steak!"

Lionel growled and jerked back into his room and slammed the door. Reese sighed loudly from the kitchen as he poured his own cup of coffee. Zoe turned back to smile at Root.

"Welcome to the family."


	5. The First Conversation

The next weekend found Root back at John's apartment. After meeting Shaw the previous weekend, she and Reese had actually gotten some studying done. It was nice to hang out with him, Lionel, and Zoe instead of sitting in her apartment alone. Shaw had left after her shower and didn't come back before Root headed home.

She hadn't seen Shaw this weekend at all. Root had come over after lunch to study for the test in their feminism class and to help Reese come up with an idea for their final paper. Root enjoyed hanging out with the boys, but she wished that Shaw was around. Only seeing her from a distance was getting boring.

Root leaned back against the couch. Maybe she'd buy them a dining table and chairs. Sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table wasn't great for her back. She looked around the table at Reese and Lionel, both of whom were glaring at their laptops in frustration. Lionel snapped his computer shut.

"Well," he sighed, "I'm done. I have to hit the gym."

Root glanced at the clock on her computer and realized that it was almost six pm. "Wow, I didn't realize how late it got. I'll go so you all can have dinner."

Zoe looked away from the tv, smiling at Root from her spot in the chair behind Reese. "You can stay for dinner, Root."

"Oh, thanks." Root blushed. "I'll buy."

"No need," Zoe chuckled. "I know the owner of the pizza place a couple blocks over. I always eat free."

"Impressive!" Root laughed, saving her essay and closing her computer. "Well, thanks. Again."

Reese leaned back against Zoe's legs and tilted his head up to look at her. Root smiled at the image. Reese looked scary, quiet and solemn, but he was really a nice guy. Zoe looked down at him, moving her phone out of the way.

"Yes?"

"Walk with me?" he asked her softly.

Zoe pouted. "It's so cold out."

He shrugged and sat up again, obviously willing to let her stay. When he closed his computer, Zoe sighed loudly.

"Fine. I'll go with you." She stood up and headed for Reese's room. "Let me just get my purse."

Root looked down at her computer, wondering if she should offer to go, too. It was very cold outside, though, and Root had already taken her shoes off. She'd rather hang out on the couch and maybe run into Shaw than wander out into the cold for pizza.

Lionel stood up, picking up his textbook and laptop. "I'm going to head out. Save me a few slices." He headed for his room.

"Will do," Reese agreed. He turned to Root. "You can hang out here. I wouldn't want you to get sick."

"Oh," Zoe said, walking out of Reese's room with her purse over her shoulder and her shoes on, "but you want me to get sick? I see how it is."

"No!" Reese scrambled to his feet. He held his hands out defensively. "You can stay! I just wanted company, but you can stay!"

Zoe waved him off. "Too late, John. I've got my shoes on. I'm going."

Reese still looked unsure, but he moved to the door and started pulling on his shoes. It didn't take them too long to get ready. They waved at Root as they left and she breathed out in the quiet room. A second later, Lionel stepped out of his room, dressed in sweats and a coat and carrying his gym bag.

"Bye, Lionel," Root said as she lifted herself onto the couch behind her. "Get buff."

He grinned at her. "I'm doing my best."

The door closed behind him with a soft click and Root listened as he locked the front door. She wasn't sure what she was going to do while they were gone. She was tired of doing schoolwork, but if she didn't think there'd be enough time to work on a personal project. So, she just watched the cooking show that was playing on the television.

She was half an episode into Chopped when the door to Shaw's room opened, making Root jump. Shaw emerged from the doorway, looking like she just woke up. Her hair was wild and slightly curly around her head and her face was drawn down in a sleepy scowl. Root barely noticed that.

Instead, her eyes were glued to Shaw's bare legs. Shaw was only wearing a long t-shirt, a faded Metallica logo on the front, and her muscular legs were on full display. Root had seen them before, when they jogged before it got too cold, but there was something different about seeing them like this.

"Uh," Root stuttered, tearing her eyes away to look back at the tv, "I didn't realize you were here."

Shaw turned to glare at her, but her scowl softened when she saw Root. "I didn't know you were here."

"We were studying."

Shrugging, Shaw trudged into the kitchen. "Okay."

Root licked her lips, her heart pounding. She wanted to say something and start a conversation, but she didn't want to sound like an idiot. Shaw was so cool and Root wanted to be cool, too. She crossed her legs under herself, pretending to watch the tv again.

"So," she started, "no work out today? You slept the whole day away."

Shaw's voice was muffled as she stuck her head into the fridge. "I went back to bed around one. I had a long night."

"Homework?"

"Boy trouble."

Root nodded. Shaw was probably talking about that boy Root had seen her with. She'd thought they'd broken up, but maybe not. What was his name? Tomas. She didn't want to know anymore about him. It figured that Root got a crush on a girl who was unavailable.

"Where are the boys?" Shaw asked her.

Looking towards the kitchen, Root met Shaw's eyes. Root couldn't see what she was making, but her hands were working without her attention. Maybe Root could convince her to give cooking lessons.

"Lionel went to the gym," Root answered. "Reese and Zoe went to get pizza."

Shaw sighed and looked down. "I just made a sandwich."

"Save it?" Root suggested.

"I'll just eat it and then eat pizza, too."

Their conversation ended and the sound of stressed competitors floated from the TV and filled the room. Root couldn't tell if the mood was awkward or not. She wanted to seem as interesting as possible, but she didn't want to come off as desperate. So far, she'd barely talked to Shaw.

Shaw walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, holding a sandwich on a paper towel. Root had expected her to go back to her room to eat, but instead, Shaw dropped into the armchair and pulled her legs up. Root scrambled for something to say.

"So, uh, you're on the rugby team?"

Talking around a mouthful of sandwich, Shaw grunted affirmatively.

"Nice." Root scratched her nose. "Isn't it a bit cold to play sports outside?"

Shaw raised an eyebrow at her and swallowed. "Our primary season is almost over, but we play year round. I'm on an intramural team, too."

Root blushed, embarrassed that she didn't know what 'intramural' was. Before she could ask, Shaw explained.

"That's a casual team that plays other teams at our school. For fun."

"Oh." Root nodded and pushed her hair behind her ear. "That's cool. You're really athletic."

Shaw just shrugged and took another bite of her sandwich. Her attention turned towards the tv. Root slumped back against the couch. She was frustrated. It hadn't been hard at all to talk to Reese or Lionel. She tried to watch TV.

"How'd you meet Reese?" Shaw asked her after a moment. "He doesn't usually make friends."

Root smiled at her, thinking about their feminism class. "We have a class together. I saw how hopeless he was and took pity on him. I think I saved his relationship, too."

Shaw snorted, rolling her eyes. "Zoe's too good for him."

"I think Zoe's too good for anyone," Root laughed. "She's very intimidating. I want to be her when I grow up."

"Don't be, or you'll end up with someone like Reese."

Root shuddered dramatically, making Shaw smirk. She grinned, happy to have made Shaw smile even a little bit. Stretching her legs out to rest on the table, Root leaned her head back against the couch, watching Shaw eat her sandwich.

"What's your boy trouble?" Root asked, fishing for information. "Is it that guy I saw you shove?"

Shaw put the last piece of her sandwich into her mouth and crumpled up the paper towel. "I don't want to talk about him."

"Sorry," Root mumbled, flushing. "Nevermind."

Shaw glanced at her, then rolled her eyes. "He's just too clingy. Like, I'm not going to meet his parents. Gross."

Root laughed loudly, crossing her arms. "You know, normally girls are the ones begging their boyfriends to meet the family or get serious."

"It's just dumb." Shaw tossed the paper towel onto the coffee table. "Boys are dumb."

"You should date girls, instead."

The words left Root's mouth before her mind caught up. Shaw raised her eyebrows, looking surprised and maybe a little impressed. Root tried not to look embarrassed. She maintained eye contact and raised her eyebrows in return.

The corner of Shaw's mouth twitched. "You offering?"

"I might be," Root said with more confidence than she felt. She smiled coyly. "I'll have to see you play first, though. I only date winners."

Shaw barked a laugh as the front door opened. Zoe entered quickly, shivering. Reese followed her in, four pizzas in his arms. He looked surprised to see Shaw. Root wasn't sure if he was surprised to see her sitting in the living room or laughing. He shut the door behind him as Zoe stepped out of her shoes.

"Sameen!" Zoe said, moving her shoes to the side and walking further into the apartment. "Are you smiling?"

Shaw scowled, her good mood apparently gone. "Not anymore."

Zoe winked at Root. "She doesn't like it when you notice her having a good time."

"I'm not having a good time," Shaw grumbled. She dropped her feet to the floor and stood up. "You took forever to get pizza."

"It's free," Reese mumbled as he kicked his shoes off. "Can't complain about customer service."

Shaw ignored him and disappeared into her room. Root smiled to herself. She had successfully put herself out there and Shaw had…Well, she hadn't shut Root down. That was something.

"So," Zoe said, dropping onto the couch beside Root and dropping her purse next to her, "what was that?"

Root grinned at her. "Hey, do you know anything about Rugby?"


	6. A Rugby Game

Root led Reese and Lionel out of the English Building, thankful that class was over She'd had a long night arguing with a client over payment. Around 3am, she'd finally just taken the money from his account without permission. He would know it was her, but what could he do? Go to the police?

She sighed and stopped a few steps from the stairs. Turning around, she smiled at the boys, adjusting her bag on her shoulders.

"I can't hang out tonight, guys," Root said apologetically. "I'm so exhausted."

"No!" Lionel groaned, "don't leave me alone with Reese and Zoe. Be my co-third wheel."

"No can do, bud." Root shrugged and stuck her hands into her jacket pockets. "Sleep, first. Friends, second. Hang out with Shaw."

Reese shook his head. "Wednesdays are for rugby practice. He's stuck with us."

Root hadn't seen Shaw since the previous weekend. Normally, Shaw was always around on her longboard, but it might finally be too cold for that. It hadn't snowed yet in NYC, but it had been in the 20s all week. She couldn't imagine that rugby practice was very pleasant.

"Every Wednesday?"

"Yup," Lionel answered. "She actually practices four days a week after classes and Sunday afternoons."

"Wow," Root breathed, her stomach warming. "That's impressive. No wonder she's so…fit."

Reese smirked. "Yeah."

"Wanna watch her practice?" Lionel offered. "She wears long sleeves in the cold, but I think they're tight."

"No, thanks," Root said quickly, blushing. "I really am tired."

"You mean you haven't had time to do anymore research on rugby since Saturday?"

Root's blush deepened because Reese was right. She'd meant to read up on rugby before she saw Shaw again, but work and school were keeping her busy She cleared her throat, pulling her hands free from her pockets to pull her beanie down.

"Well…" Root tried to sound casual, "I don't like to be caught unawares."

Reese smiled knowingly. "Shaw has a game on Friday. You should come."

"Two days' notice!" Lionel smirked. "That's enough time to get fully awares."

Root couldn't argue with that, and so she didn't. "Alright, uh, I'll be there! I-What do I wear?"

"School colors are blue and white," Reese mumbled. "Start there."

They waved goodbye and started walking away from Root. Their next sentences floated to her on the wind as she turned around.

"Can you not talk about my sister wearing tight clothes?"

"We want them to get together! I'm working on it!"

Root smiled and head home.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Root watched the rugby match, with wide-eyes, her heart pounding in her chest. She'd never been to a sporting match of any kind, but Shaw looked like a god out on the field, dressed in a white uniform, and Root thought she might have found a new favorite activity. There was only a minute left in the game and Shaw looked like a mess.

For the past hour and a half, Root had watched Shaw get tackled, stomped on, and even punched once. Root had read about a "no blood on the pitch" rule, but she wasn't quite sure what part of the field was the pitch and everyone seemed to be bleeding. Shaw's team scored a try and then ran back to spread out in their half and the other team slowly made their way to the middle of the field.

"But there's less than a minute left," Root said to Lionel on her right, "why start another round?"

Lionel snorted as he bounced on his toes for warmth. "They're called 'plays,' first off."

"As long as the last play starts before the time runs out, it counts," Reese said from Root's other side as the ball flew through the air and was caught by someone on Shaw's team. "Oh, watch the flyhalf."

Root focused on the flyhalf. Well, she focused on the girl with the ball and hoped it was the fly half. The rules to the game were very complicated. On the field, Shaw swiped a hand under her nose, wiping away a smear of blood.

The field was large, but there were only two sets of bleachers on either side. Rugby must not get a lot of attention at their school. Watching Shaw push up the long sleeves of her winter uniform, revealing strong forearms, Root couldn't imagine why. If the players looked this good in the winter, she could only imagine how good they looked in their summer uniforms.

Shaw ran alongside the flyhalf, her arms outstretched, ready to take the ball. The small crowd cheered them on, hoping for another successful try. Their team was down by two points and they needed another successful try to win. Root waved the white and blue pom-poms she'd bought over her head.

As the flyhalf tossed the ball, Shaw's attention shifted to Root, angry and determined face softening for a split second. Root waved a pom-pom at her, grinning. The ball bumped against Shaw's fingers. The jolt pulled Shaw's attention away and back into the game.

Just before the ball hit the ground, Shaw kicked it forward and it bounced along the ground toward the goal. She chased it, kicking it again as the larger girls tried to pick it up. The time ran out on the clock as Shaw and the ball neared the tryline.

"You almost made her fumble!" Lionel shouted at Root with his eyes still glued to the game.

Root laughed, waving her pom-poms again. "Worth it!"

A few feet before the line, Shaw leapt forward to grab the ball and slid across the grass, completing the try. Root cheered as Shaw jumped up again, the front of her uniform stained green. There was a scratch above her eyebrow now, but she was pumping her fist in the air and didn't seem to notice.

They had won and Root wasn't sure if this game moved them up in the rankings or got them closer to championships, but she was still proud. She'd expected to enjoy watching Shaw play, but she was surprised to find the sport catching her attention as well. Maybe she'd ask Shaw to watch a professional game with her some time.

"Go," Reese urged her, gently nudging her to follow Lionel off the bleachers.

Root nodded and carefully walked across the metal bleachers and down the stairs. The bleachers weren't separated from the field by a fence of anything, so they just waited at the bottom for Shaw to shake the other team's hands and gather her things from the benches on the sideline.

Lionel turned to Root, pulling on his mittens. "So, what did you think?"

"That was great!" Root gave her pom-poms another wave. "Invite me to all of these! It was so exciting!"

"You could try out," Reese suggested. "It's fun."

"I am far too unathletic," Root laughed. "I don't think I could even hold the ball right."

Reese just shrugged. "Think about it."

Shaw jogged over to them and dropped her dufflebag on the ground. She started pulling her sweatshirt over her head. As she lifted her arms to wiggle in, her shirt rode up. Root liked her lips, drinking in the view of Shaw's abs. Then, the sweatshirt came down and Shaw gave the trio a half-smile as she adjusted her sleeves.

"Not too bad?" she asked, picking up her bag. "Saved it at the end."

Lionel snorted. "Because you almost lost it."

Root blushed as Shaw glanced at her. "That was so cool. Nice Grubber kick."

"Wow," Shaw hummed, raising her eyebrows. "I didn't know you knew about rugby."

"Oh, yeah," Root assured her, lifted her pom-poms. "I know all about…trylines."

Lionel laughed and pushed Root slightly. Shaw lifted the strap of her dufflebag over her head, settling it across her chest. She looked at Root with her raised eyebrows, daring Root to try again.

"Ok," Root admitted, "I brushed up before the game. Whatever. I'm not a jock. I'm glad you won, though."

"I had to," Shaw said, winking. "I had something to prove."

"So you did," Root chuckled. "Winners only."

Lionel looked between them. "I feel like I'm missing something."

"Don't worry, Lionel." Root smiled at him. "A cute girl will wink at you soon."

Shaw rolled her eyes, adjusting the strap of her bag. "Thank you all for coming, but I do have other plans tonight."

Root frowned, disappointed. She'd really been looking forward to hanging out with Shaw. At least she'd seen the game and saw Shaw all bloody and sweaty. Root ran her eyes over the cuts and bruises on Shaw's face and the drying blood beneath her nose. It was a good look.

"Really?" Reese asked, surprised. "I thought we were going to get Chinese."

Shaw shrugged. "Well, I have new plans."

"With who?" Lionel demanded.

"None of your fucking business," Shaw growled. She glanced at Root for a moment, an odd look in her eyes, then looked away towards the field. "I'll see you guys later."

She started off across the field, waving at the players that were still hanging around. Root watched her go, sighing It was proving harder to get close to Shaw then she hoped.

"She's probably going to see Tomas," Reese grumbled. "He's so terrible, but she likes him."

"I wouldn't say 'like'," Lionel snorted. "She tolerates him and sleeps with him."

"Gross," Root muttered. "Can we not talk about that?"

"Sorry," Reese apologized, looking sheepish.

Root smiled at them, throwing her arms around both boys' shoulders. "Buy me eggrolls to make up for it."


	7. Saved Again

"Alright," Lionel said, picking up a handful of pretzel sticks from a bowl on the snack table, "I'm onboard with the old-timey lesbians now. My question is if they didn't want marriage anymore, why is there still marriage?"

Root sighed and leaned her hip against the table, fiddling with the paper label on her drink. "Because women don't get what they want, Lionel."

"Sure, they do."

"Um, if I got what I wanted to do you think I'd be here?"

Root gestured to the party going on around them. Zoe had dragged Reese, so Reese had dragged them, to a house party in Brooklyn. She didn't recognize anyone, but she wasn't surprised. The engineering kids didn't really party and she, Reese, and Lionel made up 3/8 of their feminism class. Root hadn't seen Shaw, yet.

"If I got what I wanted," Root continued, "I'd be explaining artificial neural networks to a beautiful woman in a bikini who's doing pushups."

Lionel snorted. He crunched loudly on a pretzel. "Are you in the bikini or is she?"

"Oh, she is, obviously." Root took a quick sip of her beer. "I'm wearing a onesie that's a koala."

"…Interesting." Lionel popped the last couple of pretzels in his mouth and looked around the party. "I'm gonna find someone to dance with."

Root frowned. "And leave me here alone?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "I can't babysit you all night, you baby. I'm looking to pick up chicks tonight."

"Gross." Root shuddered. "Well, good luck. I guess."

He took another handful of pretzel sticks and gave her a mock salute. "See ya."

Root watched him disappear into the crowd, smiling. Lionel was pretty cute, and he really was trying to be a nice guy. She hoped he found a girl tonight. She raised her bottle to her lips and dropped her head back to drain the last bit of beer out.

When she straightened again, Jason was standing in front of her looking angry. Root groaned and turned her back to him to look at the snack table. She dropped the bottle onto the table. A presence at her side told her Jason had moved closer.

"I thought you were gay."

She sighed loudly, hoping to signal how much she didn't want to talk to him. "I am gay."

"Then why were you flirting with that guy?" Jason demanded, sounding angry.

"With Lionel?" Root laughed loudly, pressing a hand to her chest. "Ew! No offense to Lionel."

Jason scoffed, personally offended. "I think you're lying to me."

Root told herself that she had to last four years with this guy in their program, so she couldn't just tase him and walk away. She smiled at him and he flinched a little bit.

"You know, Jason," Root said, her voice sickly sweet, "I think you'll go a lot farther if you don't try so hard. Just let relationships build. It's working for me."

"Oh, really? Then where's your girlfriend."

Root blushed. Shaw had pretended to be her girlfriend the last time she'd had an issue with Jason, but she wasn't here now. Root tried to think of an excuse.

"Well, She's- I mean, you know. Parties aren't…Well-"

She searched the crowd for an out. Reese, Lionel, and Zoe were on the other side of the living room, dancing. Any other time Root would join them just to tease Reese for dancing like some weird, oversized child, but right now, she couldn't focus on that.

"Hello?" Jason asked again. "You know, it's rude to fake being a lesbian just because you don't like a guy."

"I'm a real lesbian, Jason." Root kept looking at the other party-goers. "Also, I don't like you. Neither does Professor Greer, by the way. He thinks you overexplain yourself. I can tell."

She glanced towards the door, eyes landing on Shaw as she walked in. Relief flooded through her and she lifted her arm, waving to get Shaw's attention. Shaw kept walking, heading further into the party, apparently not noticing Root.

"He thinks I overexplain?" Jason asked. "But how will he know that I fully understand the material if I don't show the full expanse of my knowledge?"

Shaw looked around the room and Root waved again, stretching her hand high in the arm. Their eyes met and it seemed like Shaw was going to walk away. Then, Jason's hand came down hard on Root's shoulder and she winced. Shaw started towards them.

"Don't touch me," Root demanded. She pushed his hand away. "Can you just leave me alone? You obviously don't like me, so stop finding me at parties."

"I'll tell you what," he said, smiling, "how about you go on a date with me and I'll leave you alone."

Root squinted at him. "Seriously?"

"Hey," Shaw said, walking up to stand beside Root, "this guy bothering you again?"

Jason shrunk away from her, surprised. "You're here."

"Yes, she is." Root put her arm around Shaw's shoulders, frowning when she shrugged it off. "Ok, well, you should move on, Jason."

"I'm just saying, it's a waste."

Shaw lunged for Jason, teeth bared, but this time he managed to scramble back and avoid her hands. He turned and hurried away from them, disappearing among the drunk party kids. Root grinned at Shaw and pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Thanks for saving me again," she said, blushing. "He won't get a clue."

Shrugging, Shaw stuck her hands into the pockets of her coat. "Whatever."

"Hey, I know you just got here, but do you want to leave? I'll buy you a burger somewhere."

"I'm actually meeting Tomas here," Shaw muttered, looking uncomfortable.

Root's stomach clenched. Shaw was meeting Tomas here. She licked her lips, heart fluttering. After hanging out last weekend, and making out, Root thought they were getting closer. Apparently, she was wrong.

"Oh," Root breathed, "ok. That's fine. I'll just…find Reese again. He's dancing like an idiot anyway."

Shaw looked at her for a moment, face blank and unreadable. It made Root's body warm to be watched like that, like she was a puzzle someone was trying to figure out. Nervously, she tugged on the hem of her coat. Shaw blinked and looked away.

"Look," Shaw said, glaring at the wall beside Root's head, "it's nothing personal. I just…Tomas doesn't mean anything."

"Then why keep dating him?" Root knew her voice sounded small, but she couldn't help it. "I think we'd have a good time together."

Shaw winced, her eyes sliding to Root and then away again. "I'm not looking for anything serious right now…or ever, really. I'm not built for it."

Something in Shaw's voice made Root believe her, but the rejection still hurt. She turned to stare into the bowl of pretzel sticks. Even if Shaw didn't want to date Root, they could still be friends. Root really liked playing video games with her and it had been a lot of fun to watch her play rugby. Root took a deep breath and smiled at Shaw.

"I get it," she said brightly. "Sometimes people get under your skin and stay there. I, uh, you should invite Tomas over sometimes."

Shaw barked a laugh. "No way. He's the worst, trust me."

"Then why-"

"Root." Shaw frowned at her. "I don't have an answer for you. I just…can't."

Root took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Yeah. Ok. That's fine. I'll, uh, see you next weekend, I guess. If you're home."

"Yeah," Shaw sighed. "I'll probably be there."

"Cool."

Groaning, Shaw dropped her head back, throwing her hands up. "Whatever. This is so lame. We're barely even friends."

Root's stomach clenched again and she sucked in air. Shaw didn't even think they were friends. They were still strangers. Root knew that, but it still hurt. She knew Reese and Lionel so well and she'd even gone to one of Shaw's games. It was hard to think of them as less than friends.

"Okay," Root said. "I can bring the boys to my apartment instead of coming to yours. I'll stay out of your way."

"It's not-" Shaw stared at her with those deep, dark eyes. She searched for something in Root's face. "You should keep coming over."

"Why?"

"For one," her mouth picked up in the corners, "you're the only person who can beat me at Mortal Kombat."

Surprisingly, Root found herself chuckling. "I could beat you at any game."

"Really?" Shaw raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

Licking her lips, Root nodded. "Yeah. It's a challenge. You name a game, and I'll beat you at it."

Shaw's small smile spread into a grin and she crossed her arms. "Fine. Sounds good."

"Great." Root grinned. "Hey, want to go make fun of Reese's dancing with me?"

Snorting, Shaw turned towards the crowd of dancing kids. "You really have to ask?"


	8. Three Milkshakes

Root stretched out on her bed, rolling over to watch her tv upside down, her head hanging off the bed. England was playing Wales and Root had bet $1000 that Wales was going to take England down. They were currently winning by 5 and Root was hopeful. The game switched to commercial and Root sat up.

She'd been watching Rugby since she went to Shaw's game a few weeks ago. If she'd known there were teams of muscular women running around getting muddy, sweaty, and bloody, she would have gotten into Rugby a long time ago. She might even have tried to work out and join the game.

Maybe she could convince Shaw to teach her how to exercise. Root laughed to herself and fell sideways onto her bed. It was complicated between her and Shaw right now, but maybe she'd still be interested. They'd spent all of yesterday eating pizza and playing Fifa, so that was something.

Root glanced at her laptop, sitting open on the bed in front of her, to make sure it was still uploading her new program. Shaw was still with Tomas and Root was doing her best to think of Shaw as a friend, instead of a super-cool, mystery rugby girl who had the best abs on the planet. Sighing, Root turned her head back to the tv as the game started again.

It had been two weeks since the party where Shaw had told Root that they weren't even friends and Root was still a little upset about it. It didn't really matter because they still hung out, but it wasn't a great feeling. On the tv, Wales scored another try. Root had yet to have an actual conversation with Tomas.

It was just so confusing to know that Shaw was interested in her, interesting in kissing her at least, but she was still dating Tomas. What did he have that Root didn't? She winced. There were a few things he had that she didn't. Root could always buy that, though, and then she'd have the upper hand because she also had breasts.

She sighed and tried to focus on the game. It was pretty clear that Wales was going to win, so she wasn't as captivated as she had been. The women were still attractive, but she was too focused on Shaw to care. Maybe Root should try and meet another girl. They were in NYC; she could find another cute butch. Next week was finals, but then it was winter break and she would have time to go out.

A knock on the door startled her and she jumped. Quickly, she paused the tv. Reaching under her pillow to grab her taser, Root climbed out of bed. The wooden floor of her bedroom was cool under her bare feet. Her bedroom was in the back of the apartment, so she had to walk down the hallway, passing the other rooms.

Her apartment wasn't that big, but she had a decent sized kitchen and her living room was big enough for a small party. Not that she would ever throw a party. Root passed stopped in front of the door as the person knocked again.

She looked through the peephole. It was Shaw, standing in the hall and looking annoyed. She was bundled up, her hair tucked into her favorite black beanie. Root unlocked the door and pulled it open, smiling.

"Hey," Root greeted her, "what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you."

Shaw scowled and held out a textbook. "You forgot this at our place. Reese said you really needed it. I was already awake."

Root stuck her taser in the pocket of her hoodie and took the textbook. It was their Feminism textbook. She opened her mouth to say that Reese could have just gave it to her in class tomorrow, but closed it again when she saw Shaw looking her over.

Grateful for the warmth of her apartment, Root was wearing shorts for the first time in over a month. She'd even taken a warm bath and shaved her legs. It had been for self-care, but now Root was glad she'd done it. She casually stretched a leg and watched Shaw's eyes drop to them.

Leaning against the door, Root cleared her throat. "I'm watching the England-Wales game," she mentioned casually. "It's almost over, but you could come in and watch the end."

Shaw's eyes snapped up to her face and she shrugged. "Sure, whatever."

Root opened the door further, gesturing into the apartment with her textbook.

Shaw pulled her coat off, looking around at the small hallway. "And you complain about my apartment?"

"This place is nice!" Root protested. She shut the door and locked it. "Go through to the living room."

Shaw looked at her skeptically, but her smile was teasing, and raised her eyebrows. "If there's not a dining table, I'm leaving."

She winked and turned away, strolling through the doorway to the living room. Root blushed, happy to see Shaw still flirting. Root hurried into the living room, zipping up her hoodie.

"You'll see that not only do I own a dining table, but I also own two couches and a chair that reclines."

"We have a chair that reclines," Shaw scoffed. She tossed her coat onto a couch. "We actually have two recliners."

Root laughed. "Well, my furniture is much nicer than yours."

"Really?" Shaw pulled her beanie off, long hair tumbling down over her shoulders. "You don't even have a tv."

"It's in my room." Root jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "I paused it when you knocked."

"Lead the way."

Root nodded and turned around, taking a deep breath when her back was to Shaw. It was exciting to get Shaw into her bedroom, but now they had to sit on the same bed. She walked into the hallway, leading Shaw to the back of the apartment. She had to look over her shoulder to make sure Shaw was following because her footsteps were silent on the floor.

"Wow," Root chuckled, "you walk so quietly."

"You stomp around." Shaw smirked at her. "I could hear you pounding down the hall to the door."

Root shook her head and opened the door to her room. "That's so rude."

"No, It's true." Shaw walked into the room when Root moved aside and whistled. "You really like string lights, huh?"

String lights were Root's favorite self-care buy, right after Chinese food from the place a block down. She looked around the room. There were string lights strung across the ceiling in perfect rows, three inches apart, and above her bed, a few strings hung like icicles. She'd also formed the word "Root" on the wall above her desk in larger lights. Those had a setting for strobe.

Root shrugged. "No more than anyone else, I guess."

Rolling her eyes, Shaw started stepping out of her shoes. "I have no lights at all. So, you like them at least more than I do."

"Whatever." Root blushed. She dropped onto her bed and crossed her legs in front of her. "Just sit so we can watch the end of the game."

Shaw tossed her shoes aside and climbed on the bed. She sat next to Root, legs crossed in front of her, too. She was wearing thick sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt that said "Bears Soccer." Root wondered who Shaw knew on their soccer team. She unpaused the game on tv.

"So, you're watching rugby now?" Shaw asked, smiling slightly. "I'm surprised."

"I like sports," Root scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "It's- They're so great."

Shaw laughed, punching Root lightly in the arm. "It's ok if you watch it for the hot women."

"I really do!"

They laughed together, shoulders bumping. On the tv, Wales scored another try. Root leaned back on her hands, stomach bouncing, as she chuckled. Shaw pushed her hair out of her face.

"I miss jogging," she sighed. "I can't wait until it warms up again. I'll play rugby in any weather, but it is way too cold to run."

Root's nose scrunched up and she looked at Shaw. "You're so right, but you know the gym has treadmills, right?"

"Not comparable." Shaw tilted her head to look at Root. "You run on the treadmill?"

"Sometimes," she answered. "You're right, though. Jogging is for sunshine and shorts."

Shaw didn't answer. Her eyes were dark and deep as they blinked at Root. The look made heat pool in Root's stomach and she licked her lips. For a moment, she thought Shaw was going to kiss her, but then Shaw tore her eyes away and focused on the tv again.

"At least our apartments have heating," Shaw joked. "We can wear shorts all year round."

Wales won on the television, but Shaw didn't move off the bed. Root scooted backwards to lean her back against the wall her bed was up against. When Shaw left, she'd go online to collect her winnings. She stretched her legs in front of her, wiggling her toes.

"So," Root breathed, "you have practice this afternoon, right?"

Shaw nodded, scooting around to face Shaw. "Yup. Every Sunday."

They sat in awkward silence for a moment. Root told herself that it was totally normal to sit on a bed in a dark room, only lit by string lights, with the girl she had a crush on, but wasn't ever going to date. Shaw pushed her hair behind her ear.

"So, who do you know on the soccer team?" Root asked.

Shaw frowned. "Oh, it's Tomas. He's captain."

"Oh." Root swallowed. "Right. So, he's a senior?"

"We don't have to talk about him," Shaw said, smiling. "I really don't care about him. I just like big sweaters."

Root sighed with relief, glad to be off the hook. The only thing worse than not being able to kiss Shaw was talking about the guy who was allowed to kiss her. She wiggled her toes again, watching a commercial for deodorant on tv. It made Root think about how sweaty Shaw was after a rugby game or practice.

"You could come to practice," Shaw said, shrugging, "and watch. If you want. We could…get dinner?"

"That's- You're inviting me out?" She grinned, her head tilting. "To dinner?"

Shaw rolled her eyes. "It's not a big deal."

"Right. Of course not." She waved her hands dismissively. "No biggie. Let's do it!"

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Two whole pushups?" Shaw said, sounding impressed. She slid the straw of her milkshake into her mouth, widening her eyes. "That's amazing."

Root squinted at her across the table. "You don't have to be rude about it."

Shaw smirked. "I'm sorry. If two pushups are an improvement, then it really is amazing."

"Whatever, meanie."

They both laughed. Shaw had taken Root to a diner after her rugby practice. It wasn't particularly fancy, but all the waitresses had greeted Shaw by name and Root felt like she'd been brought to a private place. They'd ordered cheeseburgers and milkshakes and finished them over an hour ago, but neither of them were in a hurry to leave.

Shaw sucked the last of her third milkshake out of the cheap paper cup and put it at the end of the table. "We should work out together some time. I could teach you. Build up those arms."

Root picked up the salt and pepper shakers, pretending to use them as barbells. "Baby, these arms are strong enough to do whatever you want them to do."

"I want them to do three push-ups," Shaw challenged. She raised an eyebrow.

Putting down the shakers, Root pouted, pushing out her bottom lip. "You're being mean again."

Shaw smiled at her, wagging a finger. "That's a good look. The- The lip thing makes it just…devastating."

Root winked, shimmying her shoulders. "I practice."

"I'm sure," Shaw chuckled. She leaned her elbows onto the table, looking off to the side at the breakfast counter. "This is fun."

"Yeah," Root agreed. "Thanks for inviting me out." She smiled nervously. "Can I ask why?"

Shaw shrugged, her face blank. "No reason. I'm just sick of the boys."

"Reese and Lionel are fun," Root said. She sighed. "I get it, though. Sometimes you just want to talk to someone who showers every day. Except for Zoe. She's at the other end of the spectrum."

"She's just too perfect, you know?"

"I do!" Root laughed. "I think she doesn't actually sweat."

Shaw grinned. "You prefer sweat?"

"I love sweat," Root replied. She smiled dreamily. "There's just something about sweat that makes me want to lick glistening muscles clean or run my fingers across dripping abs."

She glanced at Shaw and caught the tips of her ears turning red. Root loved that she could make Shaw blush. Well, it wasn't a full blush, but it was enough to see a reaction. Shaw coughed into her fist and leaned back against the plastic cushions of the booth's seat.

"You should try out for rugby," Shaw suggested. "I'm alw- Uh – There are a ton of sweaty rugby girls in the league."

Root shook her head. "I don't even know how to hold the ball."

"I can teach you." Shaw's eyes lit up with excitement. "We could spend winter break getting you in shape and teaching you how to play! Then you could join our intramural team in the spring. I think you'd look good sweaty. Yourself. If that's- Whatever."

"You think I'd look good sweaty?" Root asked, her head tilting. "What if I got defined biceps? If I had a six-pack, would you be able to contain yourself?"

Shaw scoffed, her lip curling up. "I can always contain myself. I just want to train someone to play rugby. All our girls are good now. I miss forcing someone to do push-ups."

"Well, as long as you don't fall in love with me," Root held her hand out over the table, "then you can teach me how to play rugby."

"It won't be a problem." Shaw shook Root's hand. "Anything for Reese's study buddy."

Root winced. She'd thought they'd moved on to friends. Maybe Shaw just couldn't say it. Releasing Shaw's hand, Root wrapped her hands around her milkshake. At least she'd be up close and personal with Shaw over winter break. There would be so much time for bonding then.

"Have you seen the skin stuff that Zoe leaves at our place?" Shaw asked. "She says it's the 'bare necessities.'"

Root raised her eyebrows. "But it's so much!"


	9. First Day of Training

"I bet you're glad we don't have a big table taking up space now," Shaw said smugly, gesturing around her living room. "Unless you'd prefer to learn in the snow…"

"No way," Root laughed. "I'll stop complaining."

"That's what I thought."

They were at Shaw's apartment, moving furniture aside to clear space in the living room. It was pleasantly warm, and Root was happy that she could spend a day hanging out with a scantily clad Shaw. After their diner not-date last Sunday, Shaw had invited Root over to learn the basics about Rugby. Since school was out for winter break, they were able to hang out on a week day.

It was Wednesday now and Reese and Lionel had already left for the break. Root was worried that Shaw wouldn't reach out to teach her, but she'd texted Root and invited her over. So far, they'd just spent the morning eating waffles and moving furniture around. Now, they were wearing their work out clothing and were ready to go.

"Can I ask a question before we start?"

Shaw shrugged, putting her hands on her hips. "Shoot."

Root pointed at the mattress leaned against a wall. "Why is there a mattress out here? Are you…spring cleaning?"

"It's for tackling."

"I'm going to tackle a mattress?" Root raised an eyebrow. "Like football?"

"Are you used to talking mattress during football practice?" Shaw asked Root, smirking. "I can tell by your six-pack that you're a pro-athlete."

Root frowned, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She wasn't particularly muscular. When Shaw saw her expression change, she sighed.

"I'll stop teasing you. You have a nice," she gestured to Root's body, "physique."

"Maybe this is a bad idea." Root moved to where her bag sat against the wall and bent forward to pull out her shirt. "I'm not good at this."

She straightened again, pushing her hands into her sleeves. Warm hands slid around her waist and pulled her tight against Shaw's front. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart started racing. It felt so nice to be this close to Shaw, heat spreading through her stomach and across her back. She swallowed and looked over her shoulder at Shaw.

"Stay," Shaw said quietly. "I'll be nicer. We can do sit-ups or something. You'll be buff in no time."

Root laughed. "Skinny girls not your type?"

"You're definitely my type."

The hands disappeared from around Root and she missed them immediately. Her body felt cold in their absence, but she tossed her shirt back onto her backpack and turned around. Shaw wasn't looking at her, busying herself instead with the rugby ball she'd dug out of her closet.

"So," Root tried, "how long have you been playing rugby?"

Shaw glanced at her. "About six years now," she answered, putting the ball down on the coffee table. "I started in an after-school league my freshman year of highschool. My mom thought I had anger issues."

Root hummed. "I can't imagine."

Scoffing, Shaw pointed at the wood floor. "For that, I need 10 push-ups."

"As previously explained," Root said, moving to the center of the cleared living room space, "I can do two."

"Then, do two!"

Shaw threw her hands up, annoyed. Root was starting to understand Shaw and how she worked. Since Shaw was pretty much always annoyed, it didn't really mean anything. If she seemed happy, that was fantastic and if she was angry, then…well, that was also normal. Root wasn't sure how to tell if Shaw was actually upset yet, but she took that as a sign that Shaw had never been upset with her.

Carefully dropping to her knees, Root leaned forward onto her hands, resting on all fours. Her ponytail hung beside her face, tickling her cheek. Taking a deep breath, Root stretched her legs out behind herself. Since they were doing sporty things, Root was wearing work out clothing, her sports bra and shorts, and she felt pretty naked. Shaw was used to wearing this everywhere, but Root wasn't. She considered putting her shirt on after all.

"Sometime this century."

Root blushed and started her first push-up. It took her a while to lower herself, arms shaking. When she was down, her arms akimbo at her sides, she started to push herself back up, but Shaw's hands on her back stopped her.

"Make sure you stay straight," Shaw murmured, holding Root's abdomen with one hand and pushing her butt down with the other. "Don't hurt yourself."

Keeping herself in a plank was already making Root breath harder, but Shaw's hand on her butt and the front of her pelvis was making it worse.

"Ok," she choked.

She waited for Shaw's hands to move away, but they didn't. Lifting herself again, the hands keeping pressure on her, Root brought herself up. She managed to do two more like this before she had to drop her knees and take a break. Sweat rolled down her back and she felt weak for not being able to do more.

"A new record," Shaw said. "Not bad."

Root wiped her forehead and sat back, looking up at Shaw. Shaw seemed fine with the three push-ups and Root smiled. They still had two weeks until school started again and Root could join the intramural team anytime. It would be ok.

"Thanks," Root said cheerfully. "I think I'll be up to 10 by the time classes start again!"

Shaw laughed, rolling her eyes. "Way to dream big."

She reached a hand down to Root and helped her to her feet. For the next hour or so, they kept exercising like this, doing small activities and just testing Root's limits. She managed to do ten sit-ups with Shaw holding her feet. Thanks to all of her jogging, Root's tolerance for cardio was really good, so she did almost 100 jumping jacks before Shaw stopped her.

After all the workouts, Shaw let Root take a break. Dropping into an arm chair gratefully, Root gulped down a glass of water. As she was resting and drinking, Root watched Shaw text. She jabbed her thumbs at her phone angrily, face pulled down into a scowl. Shaw had never looked at Root like that before and Root could guess that she was really upset with someone.

Sending a message, Shaw chucked her phone at the other armchair, shoved against the corner of the room, and turned ran a hand over her forehead. She wasn't sweaty at all, but Root still enjoyed the view. She finished her glass and set it down.

"Everything ok?" Root asked, curling her legs up on the chair beside her.

Shaw's head whipped around to Root, glaring. "Take a fucking guess." She closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. "Sorry."

"You can go if you have to."

Shaw opened her eyes again, tension draining from her shoulders. "No, it's okay. I just…Boys suck, you know?"

Root chuckled. "I do not know," she joked. "I only associate with your roommates."

"Lucky," Shaw snorted. She crossed her arms, chewing on her bottom lip. After a moment, she tossed her hands up. "It's just- What's wrong with just fucking? Why does it have to be so serious? I'm 22; I'm not looking to get married. I just want to hang out, do sports, and have sex. Is that too much?"

Root shrugged and Shaw took a step towards her.

"No, seriously," Shaw said, eyes boring into Root's. "Is that not ok? Like would you be into that?"

She wanted to shout 'Yes! Yes! Take me now!' but she knew that wasn't what Shaw was asking. Shaw wanted to know if she should give more to Tomas or if she should cut ties with him. Would it be selfish to tell her to leave him? She already had and Shaw had stayed with him.

She wondered if Shaw was ever scared. Did she worry? Was she nervous that staying with Tomas would tie her to him forever? Was she anxious to leave him because she didn't want to be alone? Did Root scare her? Root realized she didn't know too much about Shaw, but she also realized that she wanted to spend forever trying to understand her.

"I think it's perfectly normal," Root finally said softly. "It sounds great. You get to hang out with a friend and sometimes you bang."

"Yes!" Shaw put her hands on her hips, eyes wide. "It's not a crazy request. I just don't have that- that whatever that makes people all lovey dovey and gross."

"A lot of people don't." Root frowned. "Probably. I get it."

Shaw let out a sigh of relief, straightening her back. She smiled at Root. Her smile flagged, the corners of her lips turning down. Coughing into her hand, she turned her back on Root and moved to the coffee table to pick up the rugby ball.

"Ready for more?"

Root jumped to her feet, ready to move away from the dangerous subject of sex with Shaw. She put her glass down on the table and stood in front of Shaw.

"Let's go!"

Smirking, Shaw moved away from the pushed aside furniture, back to the center of the cleared space. "Calm down, rookie. You'll need that energy later."

"Oh, yeah?" Root blushed. "Sorry."

Giving her a disapproving glance, Shaw tossed her the ball. Root managed to catch it, her hands awkwardly bouncing the ball back and forth until she could grip it and clutch it to her chest. It was firmer than she'd expected. The hard, foam ball looked like a football, but it was bigger around. Root was glad for her long fingers.

She held the ball in a tight grip and did a few fake reps with it, lifting it like a barbell. Shaw chuckled and took it from her again.

"Spread your fingers out over the surface," Shaw instructed, demonstrating. "You want to dig your fingers in and get a good grip. Here."

She held her hand up in front of Root, twisting her wrist to show all sides. Root caught it easily this time when Shaw threw it back. It wasn't as hard as she had expected, but they were standing still and only a few feet apart. Root gripped the ball, opening her fingers and trying to copy what Shaw had done.

"This isn't so bad," Root said, holding the ball up. "I'll be on the team in no time."

"You're literally just holding it," Shaw sighed. She pushed loose hair from her face. "Good attitude, though."

"Teach me something cool!" Her eyes landed on the mattress. "Tackling!"

Shaw raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Put a ball in your hands and you turn into an athlete. Maybe we can add the ball to your push-ups or something. I'll work on it."

They laughed. Root threw the ball lightly onto an armchair and followed Shaw across the living room to the mattress. She held her arms out to grab the mattress, but before she could even touch it, Shaw had hoisted it over her head. Root watched her carry it in the air to the center of the room and toss it onto the floor.

"Wow," Root breathed, "impressive."

Shaw rolled her eyes. "I'm beginning to think that you're just easily impressed."

Root hopped onto the mattress. "So, what now?"

"Ok, I'm going to tackle you."

"Just…tackle me?" Root pouted. "why can't I tackle you?"

Shaw stepped onto the mattress and spread her hands. "Maybe because you have no idea what you're doing and you'd probably break my neck."

"That's fair," Root sniffed. "Since it's so dangerous, explain it to me first. I don't want you snapping my neck either."

Shaw gestured for Root to step closer and soon they were only a few inches apart. Root stared down at Shaw's face, her strong jaw and dark eyes, and wondered if she could just kiss her like she did last time or if that would be a bad idea. The tips of Shaw's ears turned red and she took a step back.

"Ok," Shaw started, pointing at Root's thighs, "I'm going to wrap my arms around your thighs and trap your legs together. You should topple over easily and we both hit the ground."

"Does it hurt?" Root winced. "Not that it matters, but, you know-"

"It's fine." Shaw shrugged. "It's not going to hurt too much now, but hitting the ground when you're in motion isn't very pleasant."

Root suddenly remembered the blood on Shaw's face from the game she'd gone to. "Oh my god, I'm going to get hurt. What if I get a broken nose or something?"

Shaw rolled her eyes. "It'll make you look dangerous. Relax. They'll take it easy on you at first."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Shaw took a few more steps back until she was on the edge of the mattress, a couple of feet from Root. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Root braced herself as Shaw nodded. Shaw leapt at her, solid arms wrapping around Root's thighs and keeping them together. They fell backwards, Root squealing as her feet slipped out from under her. Her back slammed into the mattress and they bounced slightly.

Root stared up at the ceiling for a moment, surprised by the thrill she'd gotten just from falling. It wasn't a long fall, but it had been a new experience for her. If just this little tackle could make her excited, what would a running tackle feel like? She was suddenly very motivated to get stronger quickly.

Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she looked down at Shaw. Shaw's face was inches from Root's stomach, her arms still wrapped around Root's thighs. She was staring down at Root's bare skin, face blank, and Root was worried that Shaw saw something she didn't like.

Then, Shaw shifted, pulling her arms out from under Root and pressing the length of her forearms along Root's side, her hands resting against Root's ribs. Shaw kissed Root's belly button and Root sucked in a shaky breath. They were so close together, so much of their skin was touching, and Root wanted even more.

Shaw's lips brushed to the side, caressing sweaty skin, and move up. She kissed each rib until she reached the bottom of Root's sports bra. It was all Root could do to keep herself up, her arms trembling as Shaw skipped over her bra and licked the skin just above it.

Root wanted Shaw to kiss her, wanted to sink her teeth into Shaw's lip, but she was afraid of scaring Shaw and ruining the moment. So, she stayed still, like prey trying not to trigger its predator's rage. When Shaw pushed her tongue into the hollow of Root's throat, she dropped her head back and gave Shaw all the access she needed.

As she nipped and licked her way up Root's neck, Shaw's body moved up, too, sliding against Root, hot and sticky and wonderful. Her body fit perfectly against Root's, sturdy and solid. Root felt real, tethered to the Earth by Shaw's weight. Shaw's teeth bit at Root's ear and she lifted her head.

Shaw looked into Root's eyes for a moment, and Root wondered what she saw. Could she see how much Root wanted this? Could she feel Root's heart pounding against her own? Shaw dipped her head, her lips hovering above Root's.

Root whimpered, stretching up to kiss Shaw, but Shaw pulled up, her lips curling in a teasing smile. She was playing with Root, staying in charge, while giving in to what she wanted. Root was ok with the compromise, and the tease. She followed Shaw's mouth as Shaw pulled back, reaching up as high as she could.

"Kiss me," Root whispered, eyes fluttering. "Please."

Shaw kissed her slowly, mouth soft and warm against Root's. Her hand cupped the back of Root's head, holding her close and keeping them together. The kiss was so tender that Root wanted to cry. She wanted Shaw to toucher, fill her up, and conquer her.

Root flicked her tongue between Shaw's lips, asking for entrance. Instead, Shaw bit Root's lip, sucking it into her mouth and releasing it with a pop. Root groaned. She dropped onto her back, wrapping her now free arms around Shaw's waist and holding her close.

Root dug her nails into Shaw's back, drinking in Shaw's moan. She ran her hand down Shaw's back, dipping her fingers beneath the waistband of Shaw's shorts, her fingers touch soft skin. With a growl, Shaw dropped her hands to Root's sports bra, moving it up and out of the way.

She ran her hands over Root's breasts, squeezing them as she bit Root's lip again. Root felt like she was going to explode. Shaw's hands and mouth were hot and Root couldn't focus on anything but the way her body was feeling.

A metallic noise caught her attention, pulling her back into the present. She turned her head away from Shaw's mouth, gasping as Shaw just shifted to licking her neck instead. It sounded like a key in the door, but everyone else with a key was out of town. She opened her mouth to say something when the door opened.

In an instant, Shaw was stopping the intruder, one hand on the edge keeping it closed. Root pulled down her sportsbra, covering herself as quickly as she could. When she heard who it was, her blood ran cold.

"Tomas?" Shaw said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering my texts," a man's voice answered, floating into the apartment. "I was worried."

Shaw looked over her shoulder at Root. She seemed apologetic as she opened the door, Root now decent. Tomas walked into the apartment, tall and broad-shouldered. He was handsome and Root's self-consciousness came creeping back. He was as fit as Shaw was and Root was just some skinny kid with a crush.

"Oh," Tomas said, stopping in front of the mattress. "You're that girl. What are you doing here?"

Root turned red. "Uh, Shaw was teaching me about rugby. I'm joining the team."

"Really?" He sounded skeptical. "I took you for the brainy type."

"She's both," Shaw interrupted from her place by the door. "Some people have brains and brawn."

A smile crept onto Root's face. "I wouldn't say I have brawn."

"I wouldn't either," Tomas laughed. "You'll get there, though. Especially with Shaw as your trainer."

"Yeah," Root mumbled, climbing to her feet. She glanced at Shaw, then walked to her bag. "I should go. You two should talk."

Shaw crossed the room to take Root's arm. "You don't have to leave."

"No, no," Root sighed, waving a hand dismissively, "I…I have some work to do anyway. I'll, um, I'll see you around."

Shaw's eyes searched her face, but Root kept looking down at her bag. It hurt to be in the same room as Tomas and know that he could touch Shaw as much as he wanted and Root was living off scraps. She wanted to be with Shaw, but she couldn't follow her around like a puppy forever. This training might have been a bad idea.

Shaw released her arm and let Root start pulling on her clothing. She watched as Root stepped into sweatpants and pulled her shirt on, silent. When Root was stepping into her shoes, Shaw took a deep breath.

"Tomorrow," Shaw said, authoritatively. "We're not done with training. I do think we should focus on exercising more, though. Maybe less…contact."

Root nodded, a lump in her throat. "Yeah. Probably."

"Did you tackle her?" Tomas asked, making Root jump. "That's why she looks upset."

"I'm just new at this," Root defended herself. "I'll be dishing out bloody noses soon."

"Invite me to your games," Tomas laughed. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Root flashed him a tight smile and picked up her bag, heading for the door. Tomas' keychain was still in the outside knob. He was enough a part of Shaw's life to have a key and Root wasn't even her friend. Her heart clenched, but she grinned cheerfully at Shaw.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then."

If it had been anyone else, Root would say that they looked upset, but Shaw wasn't the type of person who got upset. The look disappeared anyway, Shaw's face smoothing into careful blankness. She waved goodbye to Root.

As Root closed the door, she heard Tomas speak.

"So, is this mattress just for rugby or can we use it, too."

She shut the door a little too hard and started down the stairs.


	10. Break

Root jogged off the field, grinning. They'd won their rugby game, Root's first, and she felt great. She and Shaw had spent the last couple of months exercising and practicing and Root had finally joined the team at the end of February. She could do 20 whole push-ups and she was pretty sure she was starting to get a six-pack.

It had been a great winter, even if she and Shaw hadn't kissed again. Root had stepped back after their close call with Tomas. She wanted Shaw in her life and if that meant they had to just be friends, then that was fine. Although, Root couldn't really tell if they were actually friends yet. They hung out a lot, and Shaw seemed to enjoy herself, but neither of them had said the word 'friend' yet and Shaw kept referring to Root as 'Reese's study buddy.'

Either way, things were looking up. Shaw was spending less and less time with Tomas. She hadn't even mentioned him in almost three weeks now. Root dropped onto the bench beside the field and took a deep breath. Maybe in another week or so, Root would bring up kissing. That might be too forward, but Shaw was single now and Root knew she was at least physically interested.

Root rolled her shoulder. Her left arm was hurting from a particularly hard fall. She'd scored a try, though, so the pain was worth it. Rugby was as fun as she had imagined it would be. She wasn't the best at it, but she wasn't terrible, either. She leaned forward to dig through the duffle bag at her feet and pulled out a hand towel. She wiped her face.

"Forgot yours?"

Root lowered the towel to see Shaw walking up to her, looking great in her uniform. "You know it," she laughed.

Shaw rolled her eyes, but she didn't take the hand towel away. "We need to get you your own duffel. It's so heavy with both of our things."

"Oh, are you not strong enough?" Root teased, raising an eyebrow.

"It's fine," Shaw snapped. "I just don't want to carry your stuff around."

Root smiled, not upset. Shaw sat down beside her stretching her legs. Wiping her arms down with the towel, Root glanced over her shoulder at the bleachers. Reese, Lionel, and Zoe were hanging out beside the metal stairs, talking and waiting for the two of them.

Root turned back to Shaw. "Are we going back to that diner?"

"We can." Shaw shrugged. "I don't want to stay out too late."

"Crazy plans?"

Shaw looked over the field, at all the players walking away. "Just need some rest."

"Ok, cranky," Root laughed. "Need the towel?"

She offered it to Shaw, but Shaw just wrinkled her nose.

"I'm not rubbing your gross sweat all over me. I'll live."

"Come on!" Lionel called from the bleachers. "I need a cheeseburger in me ASAP!"

Root and Shaw groaned, but they stood up. Unable to contain her smile, Root tossed the small towel over her shoulder. It was such a small thing, to stand with Shaw and wait for her to pick up her bag so they could walk together to their friends, but it filled Root's heart with joy. She's wanted to be a part of something larger than herself for so long and, somehow, she's stumbled into a family.

Reese and Lionel were amazing, always down to hang out and always willing to listen to her talk. She wasn't as close to Zoe, but it was still nice to have girl friends. Root watched Shaw lift the duffel bag's strap over her shoulder. She even had everything she wanted from a relationship.

She and Shaw started towards their friends and Root stuck her hands into the pockets of her rugby shorts. She was beginning to understand Shaw's comment about wanted a non-romantic relationship. Root was happy just to spend time with her. She didn't need declarations of love or romantic gestures. It was enough to just be with her. The only thing that would make it better was being able to kiss Shaw.

They stopped in front of their friends and Root smiled at the group.

"Where are we going?"

Reese nodded to Shaw. "That diner."

Shaw groaned, pumping her fists in the air. "Milkshakes."

"You're like a vacuum," Zoe joked as she started walking. "If you didn't work out so much, you'd be fat. Be careful. Your metabolism is going to slow at some point."

"Not a chance," Shaw bragged. "I'm going to have a six pack until I die."

The group laughed and quickly reached the parking lot and piled into Reese's car. He drove a huge black SUV and Root had claimed the back row. Shaw had tried to climb back there with her, but Root pushed her away and she'd settled for the center row with Lionel. Zoe buckled herself into the passenger seat and turned around to look at everyone else.

"That really was a great game," Zoe said, smiling at Root. "I would never have thought that you could take a hit like that."

"Thanks?" Root laughed. She pulled her ponytail out, shaking her hair down. "I wouldn't have been able to until recently. All this training is working out."

Shaw brushed invisible lint from her shoulder. "I'm a good coach. I know."

"You're a smug coach," Root countered. "Too smug for your own good."

"Whatever." Shaw shrugged. "It gets the job done."

The ride to Shaw's favorite diner didn't take too long. Reese parked in front of the restaurant and they hurried out of his car. Shaw and Lionel raced for the front door, slamming into it at the same time. They struggled to pull it open even as they pushed against it. Eventually, Shaw shoved Lionel off and pulled the door open.

Victorious, she gestured grandly for the others to come inside. Lionel stomped in angrily. Reese and Zoe strolled in, holding hands. Trailing behind them, Root winked at Shaw as she passed.

"Thank you," she murmured.

It was warm inside the diner, hotter than the spring air outside. Root tied her hair up again, sweat dotting her neck. Since she'd gotten more muscular, she got cold less frequently. It had been a boon in the winter, but now she found herself always warm. A waitress pulled five menus from the podium near the door and lead them to a table.

Root played with the menu as the others chatted idly. She wasn't sure what to get. Since she'd started spending more time with Shaw, they'd come to this diner often. She'd tried almost everything on the menu by now, avoid the things that seemed too terrible like grilled cheese with mozzarella sticks as the cheese or bacon milkshakes.

She settled on a tuna melt and the rest of the night went smoothly. They were all used to each other now, after months of friendship, and Root fit easily into the group. When she was younger, she never thought that she'd have a group like this. It made New York City feel like home.

Root looked out the window of the diner, surprised to see how dark it had gotten.

"What time is it?" she asked the table. "I left my phone in the car."

Zoe glanced at her phone. "Almost seven."

"Really?" Shaw asked, surprised. "Oh." She reached for her pocket, but stopped. "My phone is in the car, too."

Reese pulled her keys out. "Want me to unlock the car for you?"

Shaw thought about it, but just sighed. "Nah, it's ok."

"You had to leave early, right?" Root asked. "You can go if you want."

"It's fine," Shaw answered. She picked up a fry. "Not a big deal."

Lionel stared down at his empty plate. "Do you think I should get another cheeseburger? Or stop at two?"

"Amazing," Zoe breathed. "All of you can really put it away."

"It's the exercising," Root chuckled. She leaned back in her seat to look at Zoe across Lionel's back. "They have to eat like 4000 calories."

Zoe squinted. "I don't think that's true."

Shaw's foot bumped against Root's leg and Root turned her attention back across the table. Pushing fries into her mouth, Shaw winked at her and Root blushed. They'd started having sleepovers recently, only a couple times a week, but it was still fun. Nothing had happened, but Root was enjoying the time they spent together.

The door to the diner opened and Root glanced over her shoulder. It was Tomas, his face thunderous. He pushed past the waitress that had come to greet him and stopped next to their table. Shaw stood up, her chair scraping against the floor, and her face neutral.

"You're ignoring me?" Tomas demanded. "I thought we had an agreement."

Shaw sighed, dropping the fry in her hand onto her plate. "I don't belong to you."

"This again?" He tossed his hands in the air. "I'm tired of your on-again-off-again bullshit."

"Bro," Lionel interrupted, "leave her alone."

Tomas pointed a finger at him, teeth bared. "Stay out of this. This is between Shaw and me." He finally looked around the table. When his eyes landed on Root, he frowned. "You're that girl from the apartment." He turned back to Shaw. "You said you were just training her."

"She's on the team," Shaw answered. She crossed her arms. "We're- It's none of your business."

"It is my business."

Root sighed loudly, picking up her milkshake. "She doesn't want to spend time with you. Get the hint."

"You get the hint," Tomas spat back. "Which one of us is-"

"Enough," Shaw said with authority. "Let's go." She nodded toward the door. "I'll meet you in the car."

Tomas hesitated for a second, but wilted under Shaw's sharp gaze. Her stomped off toward the door. Root watched his retreating back, drinking her thick chocolate shake. Tomas was acting like he and Shaw were still together. He needed to let her go and move on.

Root looked at Shaw. "You're leaving with him?"

"I need to talk to him," she mumbled, pulling out her wallet. She handed a $20 to Reese. "I need a couple hours alone in the apartment."

Reese shrugged. "We were going to go see a movie anyway."

Putting her drink down, Root leaned back in her seat. She had a bad feeling in her stomach, but she tried to quash it. Shaw was her friend and she could trust her. Shaw put her wallet away again and gave Root a half-smile.

"Come over later?"

"Yeah. Sleepover?"

"Sure." Shaw looked at Reese. "Unlock your car. I need my phone."

He did. Shaw took one last drag of her milkshake and walked away. Root looked back at the table, trying to gauge how the others felt. Nothing seemed off, so she told herself to calm down again. There was nothing wrong and she was fine. She'd see Shaw tomorrow and everything would be normal.

"So," Zoe said, "what movie are we seeing?"

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Root laughed, leaning against the railing of the stairs to catch her breath. "I don't think it works like that."

"I'm telling you," Lionel joked, grinning, "Eddie Murphy gets his energy by eating other funny people. It's the only explanation!"

"I don't think it is!"

Lionel stepped over the last step and walked to his front door. They'd gone back to the boys' apartment after the movie since Root was sleeping over. Reese and Zoe had gone back to her place. Root was getting really good at Fifa and she was ready to beat Lionel's ass. Shaw was still the best, but Root could sometimes beat her, too.

"He definitely drinks their blood at least," Lionel said, pulling out his keys. "Do you think they let him?"

"Hmm," Root said thoughtfully as her chuckles subsided, "Maybe. What if he pays funny people to drink their blood? Although, the way his career is going right now, I think he's not consuming them fast enough."

As Lionel went to unlock the front door, it opened and he almost stabbed Tomas in the stomach with the key. Tomas glared at the both of them. He looked rumpled and flushed, like he'd been in a fight. Root smirked at him. Clearly, Shaw had finally cut ties for good.

"Out of my way," Tomas bit at Lionel. He pushed past him, striding across the landing to stand in front of Root, fists clenched. He just stared angrily at her for a moment. Then, his face softened. "She's never going to love you, you know. You'll never be more than friends with benefits."

Root shrugged. "That's enough."

"It really isn't."

"Then it's a good thing the two of you are done." Root raised her eyebrows. "She deserves someone who thinks she's perfect just the way she is."

Tomas frowned at her. "I love her."

"I'm sorry," Root apologized sincerely. "I hope you find someone to love you back."

He nodded, running a hand over his head and sighing. "Thanks. It's been a rough couple of months."

"I'm sure. You haven't seen her at all." Root chuckled. "I'd be upset, too."

"What?" Tomas asked, looking confused. "I've seen her almost every day."

Root's stomach dropped and she felt lightheaded. "You have?"

"It's just been sex mostly," he clarified. "She'll only meet up with me in the middle of the night. We were supposed to talk about it today, but she ever showed up at my place. That's why I came to the diner."

Root felt like she was going to pass out. She'd thought that she and Shaw had been getting closer, that Shaw had dumped Tomas for good and was focusing on her. Now she knew that wasn't true. Shaw had been lying to her this whole time, sneaking around to see Tomas so Root wouldn't know. She gripped the handrail beside her.

"Oh," she breathed, "I…I didn't know."

"Typical," Tomas muttered. "Well, we're done for good, so she's all yours."

He gave her a tight smile and started down the stairs. Root wasn't sure how to feel. On the one hand, she and Shaw weren't in a relationship, so she had no real claim to her. On the other hand, Shaw had let her believe that she and Tomas were done. Root thought they had been making progress, but now she wasn't sure where they stood at all. Maybe Shaw really didn't like her at all, in any way.

"You ok?" Lionel asked from the entrance to the apartment. "Want some water?"

Root shook her head. "I should go home."

"Now's your time to make a move!" Lionel protested. "Shaw's single!"

"No," Root said, swallowing hard, "I can't."

Through the doorway, Root saw Shaw emerge from her room, wearing only her bra and underwear. Her hair was messy and her body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Normally, Root would be thrilled to see Shaw so intimately, but now she knew the truth and Shaw's post-sex appearance made her stomach turn even more and Root felt like she could vomit.

Even as they were breaking up, Shaw had still slept with Tomas. Root tried to tell herself that Shaw was different, that she wasn't as emotionally aware as Root was, but it still hurt to think that she cared so little. Shaw had to know that Root liked her, had to know that she wanted to be with her, and she still did this.

Shaw glanced towards the door, freezing when she saw Root and Lionel. Looking between then, Lionel shook his head and hurried into the apartment, heading straight for his room, and closing the door behind them. Shaw took one step towards Root and Root turned around, running down the stairs.

She'd only made it down one landing when a hand grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Root," Shaw breathed, turning her around, "did Tomas say something to you? Why are you leaving?"

"Oh my god," Root breathed, her heart racing, "you're worried that Tomas did something? I'm leaving because of you."

"Me?"

"I thought we were becoming friends," Root said, hating that her eyes were welling up. "I really thought we were getting close."

Shaw looked stunned. She dropped Root's arm. "We are friends."

"Are we?" Root demanded. "Because friends don't lie to friends."

"I didn't lie!"

Root just wiped at her eyes and started down the stairs again.

"Root!" Shaw followed her down the steps. "Are you mad at me?"

Whirling around, Root glared up at Shaw, feeling a small sense of satisfaction when Shaw backed up to a higher step. "Am I mad at you? Of course, I'm mad at you! You've been sneaking around with Tomas for months."

"We're not dating," Shaw tried. "I don't have to keep you up to date on my sex life. I didn't think you cared."

"Bullshit," Root spat. "You knew I would be upset. That's why you kept it a secret. If you thought I didn't care, you wouldn't have hid it."

Caught, Shaw flushed. "It doesn't matter anyway. I broke up with him."

"You just had sex with him!" Shaw opened her mouth to protest, but Root cut her off again. "Look, whatever. You don't have to explain yourself. You're right; we're not a couple, we're not even friends."

"Root, we're friends."

"We're really not, Shaw." Root wiped at her eyes again. "You know, I don't care that you have issues with feelings. It really doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that you would string me along, knowing that I like you, and sleep with someone that you don't even want to be with, who doesn't understand you at all. How can you stand here in front of me and say we're friends?"

"I just-"

"Oh god," Root groaned, closing her eyes. "You invited me to sleep over, knowing you were going to have sex with him. I have to go."

Shaw called after her as she started down the steps again. "Will I see you at practice tomorrow?"

Root scoffed, stopping one more landing down to look up at Shaw with tired, crying eyes. "I joined for you. It seems pointless now. Tell Reese and Lionel I'll see them around."

She hurried down the last couple of flights and out into the warm, spring night.


	11. Make

Root jogged along the track, squinting against the rising sun. She'd been jogging every morning since spring started again, but this was the first time she'd jogged alone this year. She told herself that it wasn't any different than jogging with Shaw. It was just as quick and the exercise was just the same.

It felt different, though. She'd gotten used to running beside Shaw and now running alone felt lonely. Root hated how quickly Shaw had gotten under her skin. Maybe she shouldn't have tried to be friends. Maybe she should have satisfied herself with admiring mystery girl from afar.

Shaw had called her the whole night until Root had to finally turn her phone off. She hadn't slept at all, though. Most of the night had been spent staring up at the ceiling and think over the last couple months. Tomas had said he saw Shaw almost every day. When? Did Shaw go see him after Root left for the night? Did she hook-up with him and then kick him out before Root came over?

Root picked up speed, lifting her knees as she rounded the track, passing the entrance gate. As soon as the sun had started rising, Root had come to campus to run. All her training with Shaw had gotten her used to physical activity and she couldn't just sit around like she had before.

Losing rugby was another depressing aspect to losing her friendship with Shaw. She'd really enjoyed playing the game and she'd been looking forward to being part of a team. Root had never had that. Even in high school when she was on the Math Bowl team, she wasn't close to anyone. The girls on the rugby team seemed so full of life and a lot of them were lesbians like Root. She could have made more friends.

Not for the first time, Root wondered if she'd still hang out with Lionel and Reese. They were friends first, but it would be so awkward to avoid the subject of their third roommate. They didn't have any classes together this semester either. Maybe Root would get a tv in her living room and invite them over.

"Root!" a voice called from behind her. "Root!"

Rolling her eyes, Root picked up speed again, breaking into a full run. She raced down the track, feeling sweat dot her forehead. The crunch of wheels on the ground told her that Shaw was riding her longboard. She would catch up to Root quickly.

"Root, hold on," Shaw called again, closer. "I want to talk!"

Root panted, slowing down. She stopped, watching as Shaw shot past her. Jumping off her longboard, Shaw let it keep rolling as she turned around to jog back to Root. She pushed loose hair from her face.

"Hey," Shaw breathed, "I called you last night."

"Yeah," Root panted, hands on her hips, "I ignored you."

Frowning, Shaw crossed her arms. "Well, I need to talk to you."

"Well," Root mocked, "I don't want to talk to you."

Shaw shuffled her feet, unsure of what to do. She almost looked nervous and Root dropped her arms, feeling bad for her.

"Fine. Talk."

Shaw perked up. "Ok. Zoe said I should apologize. So, I'm sorry for lying to you."

Root waited for her to continue, but that seemed to be all Shaw had to say. "That's it? You're 'sorry for lying'?"

"I am," Shaw answered, nodding, "and I'm sorry that it hurt you."

"Ok," Root rubbed her face, "I can't tell if you're actually this oblivious or if you're just not sorry for everything else."

Shaw licked her lips. "I'm sorry for whatever I did that hurt you. I won't do it again."

"How can you avoid doing it again if you don't even know what you did?"

Shaw threw her hands into the air, turning away. "Well, tell me then, so I can apologize and not do it! I won't sleep with Tomas anymore! Is that it?"

Root wasn't sure what to say. Shaw looked upset, as frustrated as she had when Tomas was being too romantic. It made Root happy that Shaw was trying so hard, but Root wasn't even sure where to begin? What made her so upset?

"I can't decide," Root sighed, "if I more upset about the lying or what you did. If you didn't like Tomas, why keep sleeping with him? Were you hanging out with me and then having sex with him right after? Why not just sleep with me? It's not- It's not even about my feelings for you. You were just really awful."

"Maybe I'm just a bad friend."

Root snorted. "Yeah, maybe. If that's true, then I guess we're done."

"I guess…No. You know what? No." Shaw drew herself up. "I'm not walking away. Lionel says I need to care about things more. So, I'm going to care about this. Because I'm used to you now."

"You're 'used to me'?" Root asked, disbelieving. "You sure know how to charm a girl into forgiving you."

"I never said I was charming," Shaw countered.

Smiling softly, Root tucked a loose hair behind her ear. "You are, though. I think that's your problem. Everyone likes you, but you can't like anyone."

"I want to like people. It's just hard. I'm good at video games and rugby and skating, but I'm not good with people."

"Yeah," Root agreed, still smiling, "but I'm better than you at video games. So, maybe take that off the list."

"That leaves me very little." Shaw rolled her eyes. "Look, can you just forgive me? We can be friends, with benefits, and I'll stop seeing Tomas.

"You still haven't answered my question. Why keep me at a distance and stay with him?"

"Do you want…a reason?" Shaw asked, eyebrows drawn down. She stuck her hands into the pockets of her shorts. "I have one. I think it's…good."

She looked so pathetically out of her element that Root took pity on her. "Go ahead. Wow me."

"I wanted to keep spending time with you." Shaw held her hands up helplessly. "I didn't want you to end up liking me and then it'd be the same as with Tomas."

"Wow," Root laughed humorlessly, "you're so smug."

"No!" Shaw protested. "I just knew that you had a crush on me and that you…that we were into each other and I didn't want feelings to ruin that."

"There's a difference between having a crush on someone and falling in love," Root told her, crossing her arms. "I've liked you this whole time and it hasn't been an issue. Until now, I guess."

Shaw looked relieved. "So, it's not a big deal. We can be friends and have sex."

A part of Root wanted to say yes and drop the whole fight. She did want to be friends and she did want to have sex with Shaw. They never had to be official or get married; they could be best friends and also have sex. Another part of Root reminded her that Shaw had sex with Tomas knowing that Root would be upset and it hadn't bothered her. She'd had sex with Tomas right before she broke up with him. Would she eventually just dump Root like that, too?

"Why did you have sex with Tomas the same night that you dumped him? Why did you dump him? Why have sex at all?"

Shaw groaned, dropping her head back and glaring at the sky. "You have so many questions."

"I can't trust you just like that, Shaw!" Root took a couple steps past her. "If you're not interested in talking, in really being friends, then leave me along."

Root took a couple jogging steps forward, but Shaw started jogging with her.

"I didn't have sex with Tomas," Shaw said. "Well, we started, but then I just kept thinking about you, so I stopped and made him leave. It just seemed wrong. I was even going to tell you when you came over."

"You should have dumped him sooner." Root answered, running faster. "You were still sleeping with him for weeks."

Shaw grabbed Root's arm, pulling her to a stop. "Alright!" Shaw let go of Root's arm and held her hands up in surrender. "I'll tell you why I didn't break up with him sooner, but it's really dumb."

"I'm sure it's…" Root thought about their whole conversation and winced. "It might be."

Crossing her arms, Shaw scowled. "I'm finally trying to talk to you and you won't listen. Maybe I should walk away."

"Oh my god," Root sighed, covering her eyes. "This is ridiculous."

"You're really hot!" Shaw shouted, throwing her arms out. "You're so fucking hot, but I couldn't sleep with you, so I slept with him! I didn't want to risk our friendship!"

Root gasped, shocked at Shaw's outburst. Then, the words caught up to her and she started laughing. Her whole body shook with laughter and she leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees. Glancing up at Shaw's face only made her laugh harder. Shaw look dumbstruck, her arms still held out at her sides.

"You're so dumb," Root choked out, cackling. "God, you're so fucking dumb!"

Shaw dropped to the ground, splaying out on her back and closing her eyes. "I'm too tired for this. I don't get it. I just don't get it."

Root took a deep breath and lowered herself onto her knees next to Shaw. She put a hand on Shaw's stomach, feeling her abs through her t-shirt.

"Look," Root said quietly, "I think I overestimated your coolness. You're a fucking mess."

"I'm not a mess," Shaw protested, her eyes still closed. "I'm just not a people-person."

Root laid down next to her, looking up the sky. It wasn't fully daytime yet, the sky still purple around the edges and the sun still sitting on the school's red brick buildings. She tilted her head to the side, taking in the way Shaw's skin glowed in the orange light. She realized that it had been seven months almost to the day since she first saw Shaw on this track.

Then, Shaw had seemed so far away, mysterious and unreachable. Root had fallen a little bit in love with the idea of a girl in leather pants on a longboard. Over the months, she'd gotten to know the real person, gotten underneath her tough veneer and now she knew the real Shaw. Shaw's eyes fluttered open ad she turned her head to the side to look back at Root.

This could be the start of something real. They could have a real friendship based on who they really were, not on some fake bravado. They could play video games and tease Lionel and keep training so Root could join the school's rugby team. Maybe they'd last all four years of college and move into their adult life together. Root was willing to try.

"We can be friends," Root said softly. "I think we could do it."

Shaw smiled. "Friends with benefits?"

"Oh, we're going to have sex constantly."

Root giggled as Shaw rolled on top of her, pressing her into the bumpy track. They kissed slowly, like two people with all the time in the world. In a way they did, Root thought to herself, sliding her hands up and under Shaw's shirt. They hadn't even started yet.


End file.
